


The World of Vastel

by espada_d_jurabi



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-02
Packaged: 2019-11-08 00:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17970758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/espada_d_jurabi/pseuds/espada_d_jurabi
Summary: Jurabi: Heeeeeeeeellooooooooo~! This is Espada Jurabi Therion bringing you my first ever RWBY story. I am honestly shocked that I am doing this so suddenly. This idea of a fic came into my mind while I was in college and I really doubted I would go for it, but then something just came over me and I just started writing.If you find yourself interested in this story, please let me know in the reviews and leave a favorite and a follow. Thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you next chapter~!





	1. Therion Arc: Chp 1. The Grimm

_~~10 Years Ago~~_

_"Once upon a time, before the creation of the world of Vastel, there were eight guardian spirits. These eight spirits unanimously decided to create Vastel and all life within it."_

_"The Guardian of Nature and the Guardian of Earth both combined their incredible power to create the earth and the plant life."_

_"The Guardian of Water created the oceans, rivers, and lakes. The Guardian of Air breathed life into the animals, plants, humans, and faunus."_

_"The Guardian of Light's created the sun to shine his power throughout the land while the Guardian of Gravity kept all the creatures from drifting off Vastel."_

_"The Guardian of Fire kept half of the world warm while the Guardian of Darkness was entrusted with keeping the other half cool with his blue moon."_

_"With their combined efforts, the Eight Guardians of Vastel succeeded in creating a beautiful world and have all sworn to keep the peace and harmony throughout Vastel."_

_"However, as the Guardians watched the growth of humanity and faunus, so too did their attachments to the beings grow at a fast rate. Eventually, the Guardians had grown lax in punishing any mortal, be they human or faunus, for disrupting the peace of Vastel. The Guardian of Light grew weary of this and informed his fellow Guardians of the coming danger that could stem from their softness for the mortals. The Guardians should be punishing the mortals for any sins they commit, especially when it endangers the peace they had created."_

_"But the Guardians had grown to love their own creations and could not bring themselves to punish neither humanity nor the faunus."_

_"And as a result of their negligence, hatred was allowed to grow and root itself inside the hearts of humans and faunus. Wars broke out left and right between humanity and faunus during the 700th year of Vastel. Instead of giving thanks to the Guardians for creating Vastel, the mortals were too busy fighting and killing each other over small differences. The constant, blood-soaked battles devastated everything the Guardians worked hard to build: the animals, the plants, the sea, and even the air."_

_"The Guardian of Light became furious when this happened. He told his fellow Guardians of the coming danger, but their love for the mortals grew too deep. The Guardian of Darkness could also tell that their emotions interfered with their roles as protectors of Vastel's peace. Deciding that humanity and faunus had reached the point of no return, the Guardian of Light proposed a restart of the world of Vastel with the end of their own creations."_

_"The Guardian of Darkness was the first to object. He agreed that the wars spread throughout Vastel were their fault for not punishing mortals, but he didn't believe that mortals deserve to be wiped out for their mistake."_

_"The constant rebuttals from the Guardian of Darkness only succeeded in making the Guardian of Light more frustrated. The two then proceeded to fight and argue about their next action while the other guardians could only watch. With each second, the Guardian of Light became more and more furious until it had reached the point that he lashed out at the Guardian of Darkness in rage, and then…"_

_"…Then? And then what?!"_

_"That's it for tonight," Said a blonde-haired woman with icy-blue eyes before she closed the black book she had in her hand named "The Story of the Eight Vastel Guardians"._

_"Ah, it's already that late?" Asked a man with dark blue hair and ocean blue eyes before he looked at the clock which said 7:30 p.m., "Oh, it is that late."_

_"What?!" Shouted a young boy with blue hair like the man to his left and icy-blue eyes like the woman to his right._

_"Don't "what" me, Nathan," The woman said firmly to the boy named Nathan, "It's time for bed."_

_""But Mom—"_

_"Your mother is right," Said the man next to Nathan, "The rest of this book will take a while to finish. We'd be up past midnight by the time we're done."_

_"But we were getting to the best part, Dad!" Nathan shouted, "Can't you read more for just a few more minutes, please?"_

_"We'll continue on with the story another time, Nathan," His mother said, "Right now you need your sleep so you can be up bright and early for tomorrow. You wanted to see Mommy's work, right?"_

_"Yeah," Nathan said before making a huffy pout with his cheeks, "But I also want to hear the rest of the story."_

_"I'd love to hear the rest of the story too," Nathan's dad said, "But I have a busy day tomorrow at work, so I need to leave early. Just do me this favor and wait for another time, will you Champ?"_

_"…Okay, Daddy," Nathan said, letting out a sad sigh._

_That was when the sound of a phone ringing filled the room. Nathan's father took out his phone, "Sorry, I have to take this. Goodnight, Nathan."_

_"Goodnight," Nathan said before he watched his father pick up the phone and walk into another room._

_"Yes?" He asked, "The weapon is ready for testing? Excellent. I'll be there early tomorrow, so I expect everyone to bring their A-game." He said as a moment of silence followed, "Of course. We'll deal with that issue when we get there. See you tomorrow."_

_"Mommy, what does Daddy do at work?" Nathan asked as his mother started tucking him in. He was not ready to go to bed yet so he is willing to ask any question in order to stay up._

_"Oh no," His mother said, seeing through her son's plan, "I'll answer that question when we go to your Mommy's work first."_

_"No fair…" Nathan whined._

_His mother gave him a sweet kiss on the forehead before turning off the lamp next to his bed. She walked over to the door before turning to Nathan with a warm smile, "Sweet dreams, Nathan~."_

_"Good night, Mommy," Nathan said as he watched his mother close the door behind her._

_Nathan then lied down on his bed, still not feeling the slightest bit tired—not after that cliffhanger to the story of the guardians. So many questions ran through his little mind. Why would it be the Guardian of Light who loses his faith in humanity and faunus? How did the Guardians allow themselves to love mortals too much? And what happened at the end with the Guardian of Light and the Guardian of Darkness? Nathan couldn't come up with one plausible explanation in his head. All he can do now is wait until the next bedtime story session with his mother and father._

_…_

_…_

_…_

_But that night was the last bedtime story session he had with them._

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Present Day~~_

Nathan opened his icy-blue eyes again; however instead of finding himself in his bed as the eight-year-old he once was, he found himself in his present day age: 18. His blue hair had grown a lot, reaching down to the middle of his back. He wore a simple, black suit, looking as if he had just been at an important event. Even worse is that he was in a heavily fortified truck with his arms cuffed by mechanical restraints and a shock collar resting on his neck while surrounded by several elite huntsmen.

"He's awake," One of the huntsmen said as he and the others kept their weapons up around Nathan.

"So he  _can_  sleep," Another huntsman said, "I didn't think that was possible."

"To think that Mr. Therion, of all people, would be one of them, and he was able to hide if for this long."

"So many questions are running through my head after that press conference and the incident on the Therion Industries rooftop before that."

"Cut the chatter!" Shouted the captain of the elite huntsman squad, "This…thing is not Nathan Therion. It is a potential danger to all the citizens of Astea Kingdom—perhaps even to the whole world, so look sharp!"

Nathan only silently looked at the huntsman with an emotionless face. He should be feeling fear or loneliness, but he couldn't express it.

"We're almost at Hunter Tower," The captain said, "Be ready to move the suspect to the elevator with quick efficiency. Men escorting from behind are to report even the slightest hint of suspicious activity."

"Yes, sir!"

Nathan felt the fortified truck screech to a stop. The back doors opened wide to reveal to Nathan an army of hunters and huntresses all standing in two straight lines that path up to the entrance of a tall tower coated in black and white.

Two huntsmen forcefully brought Nathan up to his feet and escorted him out of the truck. From there, Nathan had so many eyes watching him from all sides—the front, the sides, and even his back. He could sense the small hint of fear from the hunters around him, which isn't a surprise to him considering what he is.

Nathan was about half way to the tower until he heard the familiar voice of a female.

"NATHAN!" The voice screamed out to him.

Nathan turned to his right to see a woman with long, blonde hair tied into a single ponytail with ocean blue eyes. She was wearing a black winter coat over a scientist lab coat with brown winter boots, signaling to Nathan that winter was in season. Nathan only noticed now since he couldn't feel the winter cold at all.

"Elise…" Nathan muttered the name of the woman, Elise. He should be feeling happy to finally see Elise after so long, but he couldn't feel that emotion—not anymore.

"Doctor Therion, I must ask you to stand back," A hunter said, stepping out of line to keep Elise from reaching Nathan.

Elise became furious when she saw the cuffs and shock collar on Nathan and all the hunters with their weapons out as if there was a threat, "What the hell are you doing to Nathan?!" She shouted angrily.

"Ma'am, you are not allowed anywhere near this creature," The hunter said, still standing in Elise's way, "We do not know what it is capable of. For your own safety, please stand back."

"Creature?!" Elise asked, finally loosing it after hearing the man call Nathan that, "That "creature" is my little brother, you bastard! Get the hell out of my way!"

"Escort this woman out," The elite huntsman captain ordered, "She's causing a major scene."

As several huntsmen started dragging Elise away from Nathan, the woman started thrashing and kicking.

"LET ME GO!" She screamed, "LET ME GO OR I'LL KICK YOUR TEECH IN! MY LITTLE BROTHER DID NOTHING WRONG! NATHAN!"

Nathan could only silently watch as his sister disappeared from his sight. Anger was what he was feeling, but he couldn't express that feeling either. Neither can he express his sadness after watching his sister fight for him, even after what he did to drive them apart in the past.

"Keep moving," Ordered the huntsman behind Nathan before he harshly nudged Nathan forward with his weapon to force him to move his feet again.

Nathan was escorted into the tower all the way to an elevator once inside, the huntsman captain turned on his communicator and said, "We have Nathan Therion at the elevator."

A full second later, the elevator began to move up towards the top floor without the need for anyone to push a single button.

XxxxxxxxxX

_~~Hunter Tower Council Chamber~~_

Inside the blue-lit council chamber sat several people from all walks of life—human, faunus, male, female, they were all in that room. What separated them were the kingdoms they represented in Vastel.

The kingdom of Astea, the land that represents the Guardian of Air and is located northeast of Hunter Tower, is a kingdom that relies mostly on wind to produce its energy. Its capital, Fu Hua City, is located 4000 feet from the ground where Emblem Academy is located.

The kingdom of Morilia is a human-populated kingdom in the mountains, which is difficult to traverse for those who do not possess the blessings of the Guardian of Earth. As a result, this kingdom is mostly populated by strong men and women. The capital city, Molika City, is located at the top of Mount Morilia at 5000 feet where Corsent Academy is located. Aside from the mountonous terrain, there is also a volcano named Ulysses, which lies west of the capital and a vast desert known as the Molach Desert which lies to the east.

The kingdom of Ganvie, a kingdom populated by faunus, lies underwater in the Neria Ocean. This kingdom, however, is the most closed off ones among the four due to its extremely strict caste system that follows bloodlines above all else. Only those who are born into the middle class and above are allowed the right to attend Iseo Academy, located in Ocea City. To the south of Ganvie is the glacier known as the Anea Straights.

The kingdom of Narcia, a kingdom also owned by the faunus, is hidden within the trees of a lush forest known as the Rainbow Butterfly Forest. Only faunus who know the terrain can enter this forest without getting lost. The hunter academy in Narcia is named Blue Rose Academy in the capital city of Lapia. To the west of this forest lies the Tomb of the Goddess of Light while to the west lies the border to the Astea Kingdom, where the Tomb of the Goddess of Darkness is located. To the north is the Harmony Tree, where the Guardian of Nature used to sleep to regain her power.

Even though the four kingdoms are separate in terms of race, their leaders come together at Hunter Tower, located in Zero City, and discuss issues that affect all of Vastel and it's people.

The High Council is composed of the leaders of each of the four kingdoms in Vastel. Their authority is higher than the regular council and governs their respective kingdoms. Right now, the council is discussing about the events that unfolded a few days ago.

"To think that all this time the Kingdom of Astea would house such a dangerous monster," Said a Ganvie council woman.

"And it is more suspicious that this monster turned out to be the son of Therion Industries's former and deceased owner," Added a Narcia councilman as he turned to the council of Astea, "No one would have found him suspicious at all."

"I assure you, council men and women of Narcia and Ganvie," Said a councilman of Astea, "Fu Hua City has detection sensors spread throughout the city. Even though the sensors picked up and registered Mr. Therion as one of those monsters, the soldiers simply took it as an error in the machines."

"That is quite concerning hearing that from the most advanced kingdom in Vastel," Said a council woman of the Morilia kingdom group, "If a creature like Mr. Therion is able to easily slip past your defenses this easily, imagine how our own kingdoms fair."

"It isn't even possible for a monster like Therion to even exist," Said the councilman of Astea, "We don't even know how a human can be turned into one of them and still function like a human being."

"Perhaps this was all a lie to pull the dying Therion Industries's reputation from the grave," Laughed a Ganvie council man, "Ah, you humans never cease to amuse us with your stupidity."

"How dare you disrespect our kind, you filthy animals?!" Shouted an Astea councilman.

"Need we remind you about how the White Stars got their hands on Therion Industries's weapons?" Asked a faunus council man from Narcia, "Before he vanished months ago, Mr. Therion specifically allowed those weapons to fall into the wrong hands. He even fired one of his best workers just because he was a faunus. If you ask me, we should court marshal him here and now."

"But let's not forget about the incident ten years ago that cost us the life of both a heroic huntress and the man responsible for the weapons hunters use to defend all of Vastel from the Grimm," Shouted an Astea councilman, "And on top of that, Mr. Therion was an eight year old boy when he saw that Elder Grimm rip apart his parents! That whole incident, which scarred the boy and changed him into what he is now, was caused by none other than the Silver Dragons, the faunus terrorist group! We suggest you get the racism of your kind checked first before you all start criticizing others!"

At that moment, the council chamber erupted as almost everyone stood up from their seats and began screaming at each other in rage.

"ORDER!" Shouted the voice of an old man as he slammed a black slick onto the ground creating a loud and powerful shockwave that caused the room to shake a little and the councilmen and women to cease their yelling.

They all turned to see an elderly man wearing a hunter's outfit fitted only for those of the highest rank. The man was well fit and had an intimidation factor within his blind eyes, the left eye having a deep scar. In his hand was a long, black stick that he uses for guidance. Next to him were four other people, three men (two of which were faunus and one a male) and one human female.

Once he is certain that silence is all that he can hear, the old, blind man continued forward to his seat in the middle, as did the other people who entered with him follow into their respective seats.

"Mr. Therion will arrive shortly," The old, blind man said, "This will be a discussion about the issue at hand and the source of it, not about who is right."

"On behalf of faunus kind, we humbly apologize, Emperor Vizak," Said a faunus councilwoman from Narcia.

"And on behalf of humanity, we also apologize for our misconduct," Said a human councilman from Astea.

"Be seated," The man named Vizak said, "I did not ask for your apologies. You all should know better than resort to screaming at each other just because someone said something you didn't like. Either conquer your desires to be racists or get out of this city."

Everyone remained silent before they sat down at their chairs.

"Now then, Nathan Therion is almost here," Vizak said, "No one is to pass judgment until he explains his story."

The elevator arrived at the council chambers and Nathan walked a few steps out before looking around at all the council members of all different races and kingdoms in one room. The elite huntsmen squad led him to the very center of the chamber where all can see him.

Nathan looked up to where Vizak and the other four council members at his side sat. One of them was familiar to Nathan: A man with long, raven black hair that reached to the middle of his back. His eyes were a slight tint of purple with a notable scar resting on his right cheek. The man wore a white robe with the symbol of air written on its front.

"Nathan Therion," Said the male faunus council man wearing a blue robe that had a water symbol on it, "Welcome to the Hunter Tower."

"So this is where the Council of Vastel holds its meetings," Nathan said.

"Yes, and this particular meeting has all four representatives of the four kingdoms and the Emperor himself gathered here," Said a female human council woman wearing a brown robe with the earth symbol on it, "I'm sure you are aware what that reason is."

"Yes, I am aware," Nathan said.

Only the sound of mumbling among the other council members could be heard throughout the room after Nathan said that.

"So he really believes what he says."

"I'm shocked to hear that."

"Do you think it's all a prank?"

"Nah, to pull a prank that could draw the attention of the Emperor himself is just asking for solitary confinement."

"But this is the son of that human lady who got one of her squadmates killed. Perhaps it runs in the family."

"ORDER!" Vizak shouted, slamming his stick onto the ground again creating a shockwave.

Surprisingly, Nathan was unfazed by this shockwave.

"This shockwave…" Nathan said, finding this power familiar somehow despite never meeting Emperor Vizak before.

"Nathan Therion, it was quite bold of you to make that announcement you made at your press conference," Vizak said, "And not long after the incident on your company's rooftop."

"It's all true, Your Highness," Nathan said.

"All I hear are lies," Said the male faunus wearing a robe with the water symbol on it, "We can't seriously believe that a…creature like this has been living in Astea for this long!"

"This "creature" has a name, Director Altreve," The man with the air robe said, "I suggest you treat him with respect."

"You know this boy, Director Niamota?" Asked the council woman with the earth robe.

"I do," The man named Niamota said, "His mother, Eli Scaren Therion, was the top rank huntress and professor at Emblem Academy, and his father, Nitorin Therion, was the founder of Therion Industries who manufactured weapons that hunters use. Eli took this young man to my academy one day. He was so little and so innocent back then…"

"But he has changed, as you can obviously see," Said the male faunus council member wearing a robe that bears a tree symbol.

"If you want to kill me, get it over with," Nathan said, "As you said, I have changed for the worse. I am a threat to all mankind."

"See?" The council man with the water robe named Altreve said, "It's asking for death, so why should we even hesitate to grant it its wish."

"No one is going to kill you, Nathan," Niamota said, "Not on my watch."

"Director Niamota, careful with what words you use," Vizak said, finding Niamota to be too rash with his emotions, "I told you not to pass judgment until we get the full story."

"Ngn…" Niamota let out a guilty grunt, realizing that he must put orders over Nathan.

"He's right," Nathan said, "You all are people whose sworn duty is to protect all of Vastel. So do you even understand the weight of this situation, Director Niamota? Some might call you a traitor for uttering those words."

"I wouldn't be able to face your parents again if I ever let any harm come to you, Nathan," Niamota said.

"Niamota, why are you showing compassion to this…creature?" Asked the councilwoman wearing an earth robe, "We don't even know if it can comprehend emotion at this point."

"I still believe this is the same Nathan from ten years ago," Niamota said, "Nathan is far from being a—"

"Ha, Niamota has gone mad!" Altreve said as he laughed, "He now pities the greatest threat to Vastel!"

"Director Altreve, watch your tongue," Vizak said before turning to Niamota, "Director Niamota, watch your emotions. Now is not the time to be pointing out issues that should have already been fixed."

"…Yes, Your Highness," Both Altreve and Niamota said.

"Now, let us hear the boy's explanation," Vizak said.

"Yes, I'd like to hear it from this thing's lips," The plant council faunus agreed.

"Nathan Therion, your fate will be decided once we hear the truth from your side," Vizak said, "You are to give us the truth and nothing but the truth. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Nathan said with a nod of understand.

"First question," Vizak said, "How and when did you obtain this power of yours…and how are you still alive, if you  _are_  really alive, that is?"

"My power?" Nathan asked, looking at his restraints, "I don't know how I survived. One day I was a human…the next…" He stopped for a second before saying, "Ten years ago…that's when Mom and Dad were killed. If I were a human, I would be crying right now, but I can't. In fact, I can't feel any emotions aside from negative ones like anger and hate—even then I can't properly express them on my face."

"Nathan…" Niamota said, feeling awful from hearing that everything that happened to this once happy boy was true.

"That is what happened to me, High Council," Nathan said, "I have lost my humanity as a child, and now…I am one of mankind's greatest threats."

…

…

…

"That's how I became a Grimm."

* * *

**[Therion Arc Opening Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYrgEiCYurw) **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jurabi: Heeeeeeeeellooooooooo~! This is Espada Jurabi Therion bringing you my first ever RWBY story. I am honestly shocked that I am doing this so suddenly. This idea of a fic came into my mind while I was in college and I really doubted I would go for it, but then something just came over me and I just started writing.
> 
> If you find yourself interested in this story, please let me know in the reviews and leave a favorite and a follow. Thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you next chapter~!


	2. Therion Arc Chp. 2: The Elder Grimm

  _~~Therion Residence~~_

"Wake up!" Screamed a female voice, "Wake up!"

A full second later, Nathan was forced awake by a sudden force hitting his body feeling like someone was pouncing on top of him.

"Ow!" Nathan screamed, forcing his eyes open to see a girl with white hair, like Eric's, tied into twin, braided pony tails icy blue eyes like his mother. The boy frowned at the sight of this girl and let out a groan, "Ugh…Elise!" He shouted, still feeling half asleep, "You know I hate it when you wake me up like this!"

"That just makes me want to do it even more, Nathan," Elise said with a playful smirk, "Now get up. You were supposed to wake up 20 minutes ago."

"Okay…I'm up," Nathan groaned as he forced his body up into a sitting position.

"This is what happens when you stay up so late," Elise said, jumping off of the bed to move to the door, "Mom cooked breakfast for us, so hurry up."

"Alright," Nathan said as he watched Elise leave his room.

Elise Therion is Nathan's older sister by three years who always made a habit at poking fun at Nathan's infatuation with technology and weapons. Even though these two kids always get into fights whenever one makes fun of the other, Elise has always been the older sister Nathan needed in his life.

After getting dressed in his casual clothing, Nathan walked downstairs into the kitchen to see his breakfast waiting on the table.

His mother, Eli Therion, was at the sink washing the pans she used to cook the breakfast. She was also wearing her casual clothes instead of her huntress outfit which consisted of green, shoulder less shirt that allowed the straps of her black bra exposed. On the shirt were three triangles: one big white triangle and two small black triangles. She wore black cargo pants that end below her knees shoes which were green tennis shoes. On her left arm were red bandanas and on her right wrist was a silver watch.

The woman turned to her son and let out a smirk, "So you're finally up, Mr. Therion," Eli said.

"No thanks to Elise," Nathan said with a huff.

"It's still funny that I always need your sister to roughhouse you in order to wake you up," Eli said.

"Well can you get her to stop, Mommy?!" Nathan shouted in frustration after he sat down at the table.

"I can if only you learn to wake up at the time you are told to," Eli said, "It won't do you good if you develop a habit of sleeping late."

"Yeah, it's about time you started having an adult mentality, Little Bullet~!" Elise said, letting out a snarky giggle.

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Nathan shouted at her angrily, "You're no different from me, Miss Grimm Fangirl!"

"I am not a Grimm Fangirl!" Elise shouted back at her younger brother, "Just because their body structure and behavioral instincts interests me doesn't mean I like them!"

"You do like them!" Nathan shouted.

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Little Snot!"

"Big Airhead!"

"Both of you stop this instant!" Eli shouted, getting her children's attention real quick. She shot a glare at both of her children, "I thought I told you both that there would be NO FIGHTING in this house!"

"She started it!" Nathan shouted, pointing at his sister.

"And who here is gonna finish it, huh?" Eli asked, "Because you definitely don't want it to be me!" She saw her children flinch when she said that with such a chilling tone and continued, "Now apologize to each other and let that be the last fight I see you two do."

Nathan and Elise remained quiet for a few seconds before they looked at each other in the eyes.

Elise then let out a sigh of defeat, "I'm sorry, Nathan. I shouldn't have called you that name."

"…I'm sorry too, Elise," Nathan said, "I won't call you an airhead or a fangirl again."

"Good," Eli said, her glare turning into a happy, sweet smile that still gave off a chilly vibe, "Now, let's finish up our breakfast, shall we?"

As the Therions ate their breakfast, Nathan and Elise occasionally shot quick glares at one another. Although the Therion family was stable, it sometimes has its chaotic moments just like the recent skirmish that usually ends with Eli being angry at the kids, forcing them to stop fighting less they incur their mother's wrath. Nitorin was the only "normal" one in this family since he's never one to lose his temper quickly and is always too engrossed in his weapon craft to pay attention, causing either Nathan or Elise to drag him out of his own world. But with a description like that, Nitorin might not be as normal as he seems.

After finishing their breakfast, the Nathan and Eli left their home and headed to Emblem Academy. Elise stayed because she had plans to meet with her school friends at Fu Hua Park. Nathan and Eli both went through the streets of Fu Hua City by car.

Fu Hua City, the capital of Astea and home to Emblem Academy, the hunter academy that trains the best and only the best to combat the Grimm threat. Fu Hua City is widely known for Therion Industries, the manufacturer of the weapons that hunters and huntresses use to fight and kill Grimm all other kinds of machinery like aircraft and tanks. The other noteworthy area in Fu Hua is a café named Boe's, a peaceful, popular café where hunters and civilians of Fu Hua can sit down for a nice, reasonably priced meal.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Emblem Academy~~_

"And here we are," Eli said as she and Nathan exited the car to get a view of a tall building that appeared to be a school of sorts, "Emblem Academy."

'This is an academy?" Nathan asked, "Aren't you an adult though, Mommy?"

"Don't let the "Academy" title fool you, Nathan," Eli said as they began walking through the academy courtyard that led to the school entrance, "This place is unlike your average school. Here, we train Hunters and Huntresses, people who pledge their lives to keep humanity and faunus safe from the Grimm threat."

"This is where you learned to be as strong as you are?" Nathan asked, his eyes beaming up in excitement.

"Yes, and I am also a professor here," Eli said, "It's my job to teach students everything about strategy and tactics, which is one of the three main courses to take here."

"But I thought you guys just learn to fight," Nathan said.

"There is more to fighting Grimm than just swinging your weapon at them," Eli explained, "You remember Elise saying she wanted to study them more and find out their behavioral patterns, right?" She asked as Nathan nodded in response, "Well, Grimm study is also one of the courses hunters need to take along with combat classes."

"So it is kinda like a school," Nathan said as they entered Emblem Academy.

Even though it is December and the students of Emblem Academy had gone home for the holidays, there were still handful of hunters and huntresses getting ready for their missions. Seeing the sight of the weapons in some of the hunters' hands made Nathan's face bright up in awe.

"Look at all those weapons!" Nathan shouted in excitement, "They all look so cool!"

"Ah yes, your father is the one who made those weapons for us," Eli explained.

"Wait, Daddy makes those things?!" Nathan asked, "I thought he was just passing time by building random stuff."

"Everything your father builds is important," Eli said, "It's his job to build weapons and other machines that could help out hunters on the battlefield. All life would have been lost if it weren't for your father's genius work."

"Do you think I can make weapons as amazing as those?" Nathan asked.

"I'm sure you can, Nathan," Eli said, "You already did an amazing job at your school's science fair. I have no doubt that you can make the best hunter weapon that no one has ever seen before."

"With an expectation like that, I'll have to do my best," Nathan said, letting out an embarrassed but happy grin.

"So, how about we go meet my boss?" Eli said as she led Nathan to an open elevator. She pushed the button to the top floor and the elevator began to move. The elevator later arrived at the top floor and they arrived at a spacious office that only had a desk sitting near the wide window.

Sitting at the desk was a man who had long, raven-black hair that reached to the middle of his back wearing a white suit over a blue dress shirt fitted with a light blue tie and black dress pants with black dress shoes.

"Good morning, Director Niamota," Eli called out to the man, standing at attention.

"Hm?" The man named Niamota looked up and was surprised to see Eli in front of him, "Professor Therion? Aren't you supposed to be on holiday vacation? What are you doing here?"

"My apologies for not notifying you about my visit, Director," Eli said, "I have nothing major going on today so I decided to bring my son on a tour here."

"Hello," Nathan said, waving to Niamota.

"Oh, I see," Niamota said before he stood up from his office chair, "In that case, I do not mind."

"Nathan, this is Elcrest Niamota, Director of Emblem Academy," Eli said.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Niamota," Nathan said.

Elcrest let out a chuckle before returning Nathan's greeting with a wave of his own, "Hello there, young one. Nathan, was it?"

"Yes," Nathan said.

"What a nice name you have," Elcrest said, "I'm sorry if I don't have any snacks for you. I wasn't aware that your mother was going to bring you to my academy."

"It's alright," Nathan said, "So are you a hunter like my mom?"

"…Hm…" Elcrest silently stared at Nathan which caused the conversation to grind to a bizarre and sudden halt.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Niamota?" Eli asked in concern, but she also had an idea of what Elcrest was doing.

"Oh, sorry," Elcrest said, "I tend to do that when I'm introduced to strangers. To answer your question, Nathan, I am a hunter, in a sense. But I usually do more strategy meetings and teaching than any hunting."

"Ooh, so there is more to hunting than just fighting," Nathan said.

"That's right," Elcrest said, "On top of managing the academy, I also attend council meetings with people from all over Vastel at the Hunter Tower."

"The Hunter Tower?" Nathan asked.

"It's where the council of Vastel meet to discuss about issues that affect all of Vastel," Elcrest explained, "I can only tell you that much, I'm afraid."

"Oh okay," Nathan said.

"I forgot to mention this, but welcome to Emblem Academy," Elcrest said, "Here, we house and train only the best hunters and huntresses to fight against the threat of the Grimm. Just look at your mother, if you want an example. No one could have pulled off what she did at the Astea Conflict."

"Come now, Director," Eli said, rubbing the back of her head, modestly smiling, "I was only doing my job."

Elcrest shook his head in disagreement before saying, "I wouldn't call killing a thousand Grimm to save millions a simple job."

"Wow!" Nathan shouted, "You really did that, Mom?! No lie?!"

"It's no lie," Elcrest said, "You mother is a one-of-a-kind huntress. Emblem Academy…no…all of Vastel is lucky to have her."

"Oh stop," Eli said, blushing bashfully, "You're making me blush, Director."

"So Nathan, are you interested in becoming a hunter like your mother?" Elcrest brought up to the boy.

"I would like to, but Mommy and Daddy doesn't seem to want me to become a hunter," Nathan said, feeling sad remembering when his parents told him to not think about becoming a hunter.

"Hm, that's understandable," Elcrest said, "Being a hunter isn't all fun and games. For the duration of time you are on a mission outside of city walls, you are constantly at risk of a Grimm attack."

"Yeah, but I don't mind getting hurt a little," Nathan said, "What's so bad about fighting Grimm?"

Elcrest and Eli remained silent at that question. Eli winced a little as a memory she didn't want to remember flashed through her eyes.

"You're not old enough for your question to be answered seriously, Nathan," Elcrest said seriously before he gave him a smile.

"But—"

"We should be going now," Eli said, "I'm sorry for taking your time, Director Niamota."

"It's no trouble at all," Elcrest said before turning to Nathan, "And I hope you visit this academy again someday, Nathan. I can see true potential in you, young one."

"Okay…" Nathan said, still bothered that his question wasn't answered. But regardless, he left the office with his mother through the elevator they came in.

After they left, Elcrest let out a sigh before he looked at a pocket watch that was painted white on one side and black on the other. The arrow on the watch pointed towards the black side, "Nathan Therion…you're in for a rough life."

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Emblem Academy: 5th Floor~~_

Nathan and his mother continued to tour around Emblem Academy, seeing all kinds of amazing rooms and even a big view of Fu Hua City with the bright sun sitting high in the sky. In the distance, they could see a mountain that stretched even higher than Fu Hua City sat at.

"Wow…it's so pretty," Nathan said, in complete awe at the beauty of his home with the clear blue skies.

"It is," Eli said, leaning against the hand rail, "I used to come here all the time when I was but a teenager attending this academy. Whenever classes were over, my team and I would have lunch at this very spot to watch this view."

"You had a team of hunters?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, I was the leader of my own team, actually," Eli said, "There were four of us. Together, we soon became the unstoppable team that never suffered a single casualty or failure on our missions. Not a single Grimm stood a chance against us…"

"Wow, that's so cool!" Nathan shouted, feeling the adrenaline of excitement from hearing his mother's story.

"…well…all except one," The woman finished.

"Huh?" Nathan asked in confusion, "A Grimm managed to beat you and your team? Was it really strong?"

"Strong doesn't even begin to describe it," Eli said as she took Nathan's hand, "Come on, I'll show you at the library."

The Emblem Academy library is a place where hunters can go to research information on the Grimm they face or the history of the four Vastel kingdoms.

Nathan took a seat at one of the tables while Eli searched through a book isle that contained information on the Grimm. One of them, a thick, green book, immediately caught her attention. She grabbed it and returned to the table Nathan sat at and turned to a certain page that had drawn picture of four Grimm monsters on it.

Eli pointed at a Grimm that had the appearance of a thin, black dragon with white horns on the back of its head, red wings, and a thin, spiky tail. Around the dragon were what looked to be black flames that came from its mouth.

"Whoa…" Nathan was in awe of the picture he was looking at. Even though it was only a drawing, it was able to send a clear message of power because of the way the artist colored the Grimm and the area around it with a blood red and grim black shade.

"This is the Grimm that my team and I lost against," Eli said, "We call it The Shadow Dragon "Ragnarok"."

"Ragnarok?" Nathan asked.

"Yes," Eli said as she lied back a little on the chair she sat on and stared up at the ceiling in remorse, "Back when I was merely a student, I was so reckless. When I first heard of the existence of that Grimm, I was foolishly excited. I wanted to defeat and kill it so badly…but that monster…no…monster doesn't even describe this Grimm. My team and I didn't even last a few minutes against it and we were the most experienced in Emblem Academy at the time."

"It's that strong?" Nathan asked, shocked to hear that his mother, the woman who can beat a thousand Grimm without help, lost against this one Grimm with help."

"Not a single hunter in Astea or all of Vastel has ever been able to kill Ragnarok," Eli said.

"No one?" Nathan asked.

Eli shook her head, "And it doesn't stop there. Throughout the four kingdoms of Vastel, there are four special Grimm that house extraordinary powers—one in each kingdom. Take a look in the book."

Nathan did just that and looked at the page that had the Grimm Dragon "Ragnarok" on it. The page to the left of the information page had an introduction called "Elder Grimm."

* * *

**_~~Elder Grimm~~_ **

_"Elder Grimm" is a name given to rare Grimm proven to have been around since the beginning of Vastel. These Grimm have never been killed by a single hunter or huntress, due to their destructive power and ability to disable aura barriers and semblances through unknown means. Elder Grimm is far different from regular Grimm due to their abnormal ability to adapt and formulate a strategy based on the opponent they fight._

**_HUNTERS AND HUNTRESSES ARE ADVISED TO NOT ENGAGE THE ELDER GRIMM IF SEEN ON THE FIELD!_ **

**_~~The Lurker in the Deep: Ceadeus~~_ **

_"The Lurker in the Deep" Ceadeus. An extremely large, whale-like Elder Grimm that lurks in the dark ocean canyons and ruins deep below Ganvie, but is unable to travel onto land. This Grimm possesses two, thick horns with a large fur coat symbolizing it's old age. No hunter has ever been able launch an assault on this Grimm due to its habitat being out of human reach, but it is theorized that Ceadeus may be the cause of the pressure changes that plague Ganvie to this day._

**_~~ The Desert Devil: Varusaburosu [vah-ruh-sah-boo-roh-soo]~~_ **

_"The Ruler of Mountains" Varusaburosu. One of the four Elder Grimms of Vastel that prowls the deserts of the Kingdom of Morilia. This red scaled Grimm has the body of a dragon and two horns on its face that lie in front of its mouth resembling that of a Diablo [Devil] that is used to puncture through hunters and prey. Travels to the deserts have been forbidden due to the very presence of this Elder Grimm and the very ruthless nature of it. Unlike its fellow Elder Grim, Varusaburosu does not hesitate to launch an attack on the first human or faunus it sees and does not relent until its victim is dead. Only one man, Elcrest Niamota, has survived an encounter with this Grimm and reported it capable breathing out molten lava. Hunters are advised to not travel into Morilia Desert less you incur the wrath of the Devil._

**_~~The Seraph Dragon: Dhisufiora [di-su-fee-yo-rah]~~_ **

_"The Seraph Dragon" Dhisufiroa. One of the four Elder Grimms of Vastel. Its title "Seraph" stands for "Angelic Being" despite this creature still being a Grimm at heart. An eye witness report seeing this Grimm lurking in the deep forests of Narcia but is rarely seen or attacked by hunters due to its elusive nature. Hunters are to exercise extreme caution when encountering this Grimm on the field. Is theorized to be the very source of the Elder Grimm's existence and power because of the fall of the Guardian of Light during the 700th Vastel Year and also because of it being closely related to the Dragon of Despair, "Ragnarok"._

**_~~The Shadow Dragon: Ragnarok~~_ **

_"The Shadow Dragon" Ragnarok. One of the four Elder Grimms in Vastel that possess destructive power. Ragnarok is a fell dragon Grimm that dates back to the 700th Vastel Wars. No hunter ,other than Professor Eli Therion, who has sought to challenge this Grimm had returned to tell the tale. Ragnarok has been said to never be in one habitat for too long, although it has never once left the kingdom of Astea. This dragon Grimm is theorized to be related to The Seraph Dragon, Dhisufiora, and the Guardian of Darkness. Eye witnesses report to have seen this Grimm devour other Grimm like Beowolfs and Ursa's. Beware this Grimm's black flames for they have been reported to never die out and burn corpses until Ragnarok is out of range of the corpse._

* * *

"Whoa…" Nathan said in awe as he looked at the pictures of each Elder Grimm, "They all look so cool!"

Eli was surprised at Nathan's reaction before realizing that he is a child and said, "Y-yeah, they sure do."

"Too bad I don't understand a most of the hard words this book is saying," Nathan said.

"You'll understand when you're older, Nathan," Eli said as she put the book back onto the shelf she found it.

"Is your job hard, Mommy?" Nathan asked.

"I say it depends on the person," Eli said, "Why do you ask?"

"Well…sometimes you come home sad after work and Daddy always has to cheer you up," Nathan said worriedly, "Is someone hurting your feelings or bullying you?"

Eli let out a smile. For a second, she looked as though she was wiping her eyes before she let out a giggle, "Thank you for your concern for me, dear, but Mommy's alright. Let's just say bad things tend to happen as a hunter and…"

"…And?" Nathan asked.

"Why don't we go home now?" Eli asked, suddenly shifting the conversation to something else, "I am a bit hungry, aren't you?"

Nathan found it weird that his mother dodged his question like that, but he didn't quite understand why, being a little kid and all. The boy went along with it and said he would like to go home as well.

As he and his mother left Emblem Academy, Nathan couldn't help but be excited at the idea of going there and becoming a huntress. He's learned so many interesting things from Director Niamota to the Elder Grimm that roam the four kingdoms. The boy couldn't stop smiling at the idea of meeting one of the Elder Grimm—especially Ragnarok.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Therion Industries Testing Lab~~_

Nathan's father, Nitorin, sat in a testing lab with his crew of engineers and scientists examining two weapons that were on display in a different testing room. There was only one scientist in the room examining the weapons and holding them in his hands, which had protective gear on them. Both weapons had short claws attached to the hilt making the weapon appear to be twin daggers. Inside the weapons revolvers full of dust.

"Alright, let's give this another go," Nitorin ordered, "Begin the test again on weapon number 8192—this time increase energy output to 100 percent."

"Yes sir," Said one of the scientists as they began the testing process once more.

The twin daggers began to glow red as the revolvers spun rapidly before the blades of the daggers started turning into black flames.

Everyone looked closely in anticipation, having high hopes of success this time; however, the flames died down again just like they did in the previous tests.

"Another test failure, Mr. Therion."

"Damnit!" Nitorin shouted in frustration, "And we set it at the highest energy output we have! What more do those things want?!"

"I don't think it's the power that's the problem, sir," Said a scientist, "It might be that the user just isn't compatible to use the weapon."

"That may be the case," Nitorin said, "But I was hoping to fully complete testing before we asked my wife to hold this weapon."

"Pardon me sir," Said a scientist, "I know we've come this far, but are we sure this weapon won't have any negative side effects?"

"We are aware of the risks involved with this project," Nitorin said, "I wouldn't be expending this much time and resources if I didn't believe we can use the Elder Dragon's Claws to their full potential."

"Hard at work again, Nitorin?" Asked a male voice.

Nathan's father, Nitorin, turned around to see a middle aged man with blue hair that was slicked back wearing a black business suit.

"1 hour lunch break, everyone," Nitorin said to his team, hearing a silent yes from one of the tired workers. Nitorin then walked over to the man with a half-assed smile, "Maybe you can take a guess, Gerald."

"Heheh, well from where I was standing, you seem to be in a pickle with your new project, as usual," The man named Gerald said.

"More like frustrated," Nitorin said, "I need some fresh air right now."

"Then let's head on to the usual spot for lunch, then," Gerald said as he and Nitorin left the Therion Industries Testing Laboratory.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Bao's~~_

The two went to Bao's café for their lunch break. The café owner, Bao Ludgen, was a young man with lightly tanned skin, sky blue eyes, and chocolate brown hair. His hair is shaved on the sides of his head, and spiked up in the front. His eyes an almond shape with deep blue eyes. He's built rather well, standing around 6'3, his body being rather lean and without much muscle. As the café owner, he wears a blue button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up a little. He'll have on a black vest on top with golden buttons and an orange tie down the middle. His pants will be black suit pants and a black apron will be around his neck and covering his front.

"Ah, Mr. Therion and Mr. Achilles. Welcome back," Bao said to the two, referring Gerald by his last name Achilles, as they entered his café, "The usual?"

"Yes, please," Nitorin said as he and Gerald sat down at the café booth that had a nice window view of the Fu Hua streets.

"So tell me what the issue is this time, Nitorin," Gerald said, concerned about the progress on Nitorin's new project.

Nitorin let out an exhausted sigh, "It seems that the Grimm weapons require more power than even we have. We put everything we had into it and we still couldn't recreate the Ragnarok's black flames."

"Sounds like we'll need a new power source then," Gerald said.

"But we've tried everything we could: Aura, Semblances, and just about every stable element in the periodic table," Nitorin said, "Unstable elements are much too risky because they could trigger the worst case scenario of the user turning into a Grimm."

"Yeah…" Gerald said.

"One of my scientists advised we get my wife to help since her semblance can allow her to touch the weapon without any risks involve…at least in theory," Nitorin said, hesitant to allow his wife anywhere near those dangerous weapons.

"That might be our only chance, Nitorin," Gerald said, "The fact that we got those claws at all is a sign from the Goddess of Luck herself."

"More like from the Devil himself, given that two hunters were found impaled by them," Nitorin grunted in frustration.

"You really hate that Grimm, don't you?" Gerald asked.

"I hate Grimm in general," Nitorin said, "The idea mankind being powerless against those monsters…it sickens me to my stomach. Plus, I have a family to take care of; especially my son."

"You mean that little kid that was running around the lab last month?" Gerald asked, chuckling a little at the memory.

"Here you go," Boa said as he arrived at their booth with their lunch.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Ludgen," Gerald said.

"It's no trouble at all," Bao said with a smile, "I couldn't help but overhear as I walked over, but you say something about a son, Mr. Therion?"

"Yep, his name's Nathan," Nitorin said, "I tell you, the kid gets excited at the sight of anything—even Grimm gets him in an ecstatic mood."

Both Bao and Gerald let out a laugh at the thought of a kid acting like that.

"Well looking at you, I'd say that excitement runs in the family," Bao said, "I remember when you first tasted my coffee."

"Come on, I wasn't like I told everyone in Vastel about this place," Nitorin said.

"That's exactly what you did, Nitorin," Gerald pointed out.

"Oh," Nitorin said, realizing that he actually did run around telling people about Bao's delicious coffee.

"Well it helped my business out a lot, Mr. Therion, so thanks for doing that for me," Bao said before he heard the bell ring indicating that another customer had entered his café, "Well, I'll be seeing you both around," The man said before he went back to his counter to take the next customer's order.

"So getting back on topic," Gerald began, "The High Council's deadline is coming up soon."

"Damnit…those assholes expected us to get results in ten years…" Nitorin silently muttered, "My company could only do so much with the technology we have. We're so close too, but we simply need a viable power source with enough firepower to kill an Elder Grimm. But to think the High Council would be stupid enough to throw an opportunity like this away…Damnit!"

"I feel your pain, Nitorin," Gerald said, "A lot of money was spent on this weapon your building. The council is full of cowards, if you ask me. They're not willing to take risks for the sake of humanity's well-being."

"Yeah," Nitorin said as he finished up his lunch, "If I can just finish this weapon and give it to my wife…it'll be incredible for everyone. She's already done enough at the Astea Conflict, but if she takes down all four Elder Grimm and somehow rid the world of Grimm entirely…."

"She'll be a legend—one forever told even in the far future as Humanity's Savior," Gerald said.

"…That too, but more importantly, my son won't have to grow up a hunter," Nitorin said, "After what happened to Eli's team four years back…I just can't let Nathan go through that same thing."

"Nitorin, people who can make hardest choices possess the strongest wills," Gerald said, "Every hunter understands that—your wife especially."

"But leaving a comrade, a family member, to die…" Nitorin began.

"To save thousands?" Gerald finished with his rhetorical question.

"…You're right," Nitorin said, "I shouldn't doubt my own wife's decisions. She might end up turning me into Grimm goo if she hears me saying this mopey stuff."

"Good, cause it'd be bad if Therion Industries' owner showed back up to work with a frown," Gerald said before finishing up his food.

"Ah, lunch break's almost over," Nitorin said as both of then stood up and paid for their food before saying their goodbye's to Boa and returned to Therion Lab for more testing.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Therion Residence~~_

The Therion family had just finished their dinner, despite one person absent. As Nathan placed his empty plate in the sink, he let out a sigh as he looked at his mother, who was covering up the dinner plate with a long napkin.

"Is Dad going to be late again?" Elise asked.

"I'm afraid so," Eli said.

"Ah, this is the fourth time this month," Elise said, "What in the world could he be making this late at night."

"I'm afraid we can't tell you that just yet, Elise," Eli said, "Now go on to bed now. It's getting late."

"…Alright," Elise said. Before she went off to her room she glanced at Nathan, who was silently sitting at the table with a sad face starting to form. She pitied her little brother. Her parents always had the free time to read her bedtime stories when she was little, but now their father had become so engross in his work that he can't even spent time with Nathan.

As Elise went up the stairs to her room, Nathan sat still at the table, holding back this gloomy feeling after understanding that there would be no story time tonight, "No story time, I guess…"

Eli gave the boy a reassuring smile before she picked him up with ease and gave him a warm hug, "Don't be so down, Nathan," She said as she walked upstairs to his room, "Your father is a busy man who has a lot of people counting on him."

"But…I'm want him to be here with us," Nathan said as they entered his room and his mother placed him on his bed, "I want us to finish this bedtime story together."

"And we will, dear," Eli said, laying the bed covers over her son, "But Mommy and Daddy have to first make sure the big, bad Grimm don't interrupt our story time. So give us a little more time, alright?"

"…Okay," Nathan said, as he lied down, "You promise?"

"Promise," Eli said before she gave her son a kiss on his forehead before heading to the door, "Sweet dreams, my little angel."

"Good night, Mommy," Nathan said as Eli closed the door behind her.

Eli walked back downstairs and was about to clean the dishes from dinner, but heard the sound of the front door opening.

"I'm home," Nitorin called out as he entered the house exhausted and hungry.

"You're late again," Eli said, "Your food's on the table."

"Thanks," Nitorin said as he put down his black laptop and suitcase on the couch table before heading to the kitchen table to begin eating his dinner, "You're cooking's fantastic, as usual, Eli."

"Comes with being a mother of two little feisty children and a workaholic husband," Eli said as she sat down at the table across from Nitorin.

Nitorin's face had guilt painted on it. He froze for a good second realizing that he had caused them to skip out on Nathan's bedtime story, "…I know…I messed up again," Nitorin said.

"Nitorin—"

"Eli, you need to understand that this project is bigger than this family," Nitorin explained, "The future of Vastel is hanging on whether or not I can finish the new weapon. If I don't—"

"Let me stop you there, Nitorin," Eli said, interrupting her husband, "I understand the weight of the situation that we are both in and the possible…benefits from this project of yours, but if you keep this up, you and Nathan might drift apart."

"I know," Nitorin said, "But if I don't get any new results or even get close to a complete, working weapon, the High Council will shut down the project. Not only will my company's reputation be in shambles, but worse, you…they'll send you to prison. You haven't forgotten what I had to do to protect you from the council on that day we first met, did you?"

"No…I remember it all too well," Eli said, looking at her wrists that were once held in place by handcuffs.

"We are so close to having the means to fight back against the Grimm more effectively, but they just want to throw it away if it shows even the slightest hindrance," Nitorin said.

"To be fair, Nitorin, you are dealing with power that none of us understands," Eli said, "No one has ever wielded a weapon that has qualities of a regular Grimm, let alone an Elder Grimm. What if it turns it's wielder into a Grimm, or even worse, bring the Elder Grimm, Ragnarok, to Fu Hua City? The High Council knows the risks that are involved with this project, but why can't you?"

"The risks are dangerous but I believe it is worth it," Nitorin said, "Imagine a world where we don't have risk our lives fighting Grimm—where we don't have to worry about when they'll attack us or when they'll claim another defenseless life. That's the kind of world I want Nathan and Elise to grow up in—not this…this hellhole!"

Eli stayed silent, listening to Nitorin rant on about his issue with the current state of the world. She couldn't blame him for feeling this way; especially with what he's gone through.

"I'm sorry, Eli…I…" Nitorin looked down at the scar on his left hand, reliving the days when he was young.

Nitorin lived in the southern area of Astea Kingdom called the Loyal Hills. The Loyal Hills had peaceful villages and farms. Despite his family being farmers, Nitorin was more fascinated by the technology found in Fu Hua City. Whenever he had the free time after helping with farm work, he would always be trying to build a model plain or a model car. Even thought his parents did not like the idea of their son being into technology, but they were supportive of him nonetheless and made plans to transfer him to Fu Hua City for a job. However, one day the Loyal Hills became overrun with Grimm. Nitorin's parents were brutally murdered by a Grimm attack while Nitorin himself managed to escape via the river that connects from the Loyal Hills to Fu Hua City, but not without receiving a wound on his hand from one of the Ursa Grimm that attacked him before he fell down the river.

When Nitorin regained consciousness, he found himself in the Fu Hua City hospital. It was later revealed that he was found washed up the lake by the former owner of Therion Inc, Noctuvo Therion. When Noctuvo discovered Nitorin's natural gift in crafting and understanding of technology, he decided to take him under his wing and teach the boy everything he knew about technology. As Nitorin grew older and wiser, so did Noctuvo's unfortunate illness. The former owner passed away, but not before naming Nitorin as his predecessor who will lead Therion Industries and all of Astea Kingdom into a brighter future with new technology.

Eli got up from her seat to sit next to her husband, hugging him to give him as much comfort as he needed, "It's okay, Nitorin. I made a promise to my brother and my team to rid the world of those monsters even after we all fell apart…"

Eli was born into a rich family of Astea Kingdom named the Alisen's. For most of her childhood, she's lived a privileged life, until she saw a hunter's academy tournament broadcasted on television. Seeing the raw strength of those hunters sparked a flame inside the girl as she demanded that she was allowed permission to become a hunter.

Her rich parents refused due to the fact that their heir, Morgan Alisen, ran off to become a hunter. They did not want Eli to end up a "brute" like her brother, but Eli wouldn't stand for it; especially when her family lives so far in Vastel where the Grimm are out of reach. She hated the fact that they were thriving off hunters risking their lives for the peace without being given so much as a "Thank You" from her family.

And so, Eli ran away from home and ended up in Fu Hua City and signed up to enroll in Emblem Academy. The training was much harder and more brutal than she had imagined at first, but eventually, things started to become more natural to her. Killing Ursa eventually started feeling like a chore to her and the team she led to countless battles against the Grimm.

Eli's team was made up of Eli as the leader with her older brother, Morgan Alisen, her best friend, Aoife Chandani, and Saratos Bion, a faunus transfer from the Kingdom of Narcia.

But one day, Eli became overconfident in her abilities and put too much faith in the strength of her team. She recklessly led her team to track down the Elder Grimm of Astea, Ragnarok "The Shadow Dragon". She had thought things would go well given that they were the top team of Emblem Academy, but oh was she wrong. Ragnarok was able to quickly render Eli's team powerless due to it being able to render Aura protection and semblances completely useless. By the end of that nightmarish day, Morgan had no choice but to hold the powerful Grimm back as much as he possibly could while he allowed Eli and the rest of the team to escape. A few days after when Morgan did not return, a search team of hunters returned with only his weapon, but not Morgan himself.

Eli was stricken with grief when she saw her brother's weapon return without its owner. After Morgan was announced as Killed in Action (KIA), Eli was court marshaled and sent into solitary confinement for leading her team into a suicide mission without authorization. Her team was then disbanded as a result with Saratos going back to his home in Narcia Kingdom while Aoife was left alone without a team to rely on. Eli was sent to Voskat, a base in Astea where hunters who have committed felonies were sent to conduct missions where they are to act as bait for Grimm to draw their attention. On one of these missions, the number of Grimm was a lot more than they had anticipated—a horde of a thousand Ursas, Beowolfs, and Beringels.

Eli was given orders to fall back, but the woman realized that there was a city just north of the battle area. Fearing that the horde might turn on the city, the brave woman disobeyed orders and stood her ground. The battle lasted three hours, but Eli miraculously was able to fend off the horde of Grimm despite the clear disadvantage. This event was named "The Astea Conflict". While the people who heard the news of Eli's victory praised her bravery, the council of Hunter Tower didn't. The majority of them wanted Eli completely stripped of her Huntress Title and send her to prison for disobeying orders.

And that was about to happen, until Nitorin intervened. At this point in time, the claws from Ragnarok were discovered and plans were being made to turn them into a functional hunter's weapon. All they needed once they complete the weapon was an experienced hunter, and Nitorin believed Eli was perfect due to her efforts in the Astea Conflict.

After three days of debating with the High Council allowed Eli to keep her Huntress position and temporarily suspended her charges; however, there was one condition: If Nitorin's weapon is not ready in ten years or if it becomes a failure, the charges to Eli will be reinstated and she will be sent to prison, and the reputation of Therion Industries not be able to survive the public backlash.

Nitorin accepted the challenge and happily allowed Eli to live in his home. For the next two years, the two became close to each other as friends, until one day they both fell in love with each other. The next thing the love birds knew, they were both married and had two kids to form a happy family—a family that both of them were willing to sacrifice anything for.

"I want to kill Ragnarok along with every other Grimm in the world more than anything…" Eli said, clenching her fists in anger, remembering her failure that cost the life of her older brother and the bond she shared with her team. She knew it was all her fault. That's why she wants to atone for her mistakes, "But…I don't want to lose you or Nathan or Elise. You're all my family…the only family I have left to look back on with a smile."

Nitorin gave his wife a similar, warm smile before he connected his forehead with hers, "You, Nathan, and Elise are all I have too. If I fail…the kids will end up living without a mother. I know too well what kind of life that is."

"I know," Eli said, closing her eyes while feeling concerned, "I'm just…a bit worried about this, that's all."

"What worries you?" Nitorin asked, "Is it the fact that the weapon has Grimm qualities."

"That's part of it, yes," Eli said.

"Eli, I wouldn't have defended you against the Hunter Council if I didn't believe that you would be the one to be able wield this weapon," Nitorin said, "Have faith in me, okay?"

"Having faith is what got my brother killed…" Eli said, her face full of regret as she remembered the day that her brother was announced dead.

"That won't happen to me," Nitorin said, giving his wife a warm hug, "I promise."

The hug succeeded in cheering Eli up. The woman returned the hug after letting out a smile. Everything rested on the completion of this weapon. Even though the risks are both high and uncertain, both Nitorin and Eli are willing to go through with it if it means creating a world without Grimm.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Location: Unknown~~_

In a dark room that was lit only by the light coming from a television screen, there was a man sitting at his chair with three dust crystals in his hand—one red, one green, and one blue. He watched the news, which was being broadcasted on the television, report about the recent dust robbery in Fu Hua with delight.

"It sure feels good to have your work acknowledged by the public," The man said as he placed the dust crystals down.

"Boss Fuchou," Called a man wearing the mask that bore the face of a dragon.

The man, who was named Fuchou, let out an annoyed sigh before saying with a deep voice, "Didn't I tell you not to call for me during my break?"

"Sorry, sir, but there's an important call for you," The masked man said, "It's from the Silver Dragons."

Fuchou stood up from his chair and turned around so the light from the opened door could shine on him.

Fuchou wasn't a man; he was a Komodo Dragon faunus with scaly skin, slit irises in his eyes, and a gray dragon tail. His face's cheek bones were high from the neck and his teeth looked sharp enough to tear a door off its hinges. The man's hair was black and his muscles appeared extremely tough.

He wore a long, purple, sleeveless, open coat with black combat pants and metal knee guards. The pants are tucked into a pair of black steel-toed boots. He also had a pair of black gloves with a plane, metal mask sitting on his face with black, bulletproof glass covering the area where his eyes were.

"The Silver Dragons, huh?" Fuchou asked, "They better not be asking us to attack on the humans, cause a frontal assault just isn't our style."

"It's not actually an attack," The man with the dragon mask said, "It's a high paying reward."

"Very well, then," Fuchou said as he picked up the remote and turned off the television, "This had better be important."

He later went into a communication room to pick up the call that was pinging on the computer. Once he did, he heard a voice that was using a voice changing system to hide the identity of the caller.

_"Greetings, Drago Fuchou,"_  The caller said.

"I heard you had a job for me, Leader of the Silver Dragons?" Fuchou, whose first name was Drago, asked, "Or shall I call you by your codename: Deathwatch?"

_"Straight to the point as ever, I see,"_  Deathwatch said,  _"The Silver Dragons have need of your "expertise" in thievery."_

"Kind of you to add the compliment there, Deathwatch," Drago said, "But my skills don't come cheap, you know. And depending on the target, I might end up adding a large sub-tax fee in there too."

_"There is no need for money, Fuchou,"_  Deathwatch said,  _"We've recently acquired some intriguing information about the Council of Hunter Tower—information that perhaps may be what you are looking for."_

"…" Drago froze for a full second before he leaned forward in interest, "Information on the council? If you're not lying, then screw the money."

_"I knew you would come around,"_  Deathwatch said,  _"Your job is simple: You are to steal a secret weapon that is under development at Therion Industries and bring it to the specified location."_

"Whoa…Therion Industries?" Drago asked, "A secret weapon? This is the first time I've heard of something like that."

_"Oh believe me, this weapon is very real,"_  Deathwatch said,  _"We have an insider feeding us all the information that is being provided. According to this insider, the weapon is still in testing phase, but once it is complete there will be a field test to display its capabilities. That is when you will strike and steal the weapon."_

"If this special op. is going to run smoothly, we'll need a way to get Mr. Therion's huntress girl away from the field," Drago said, "None of my men are a match for that woman, and I bet Therion's guards won't be pushovers either."

_"Eli Therion will not pose a threat in this plan, nor will any hunter or guard stationed to protect Therion either,"_  Deathwatch said.

"Oh? Enlighten me," Drago said, "How is it that you think a huntress who can kill a thousand Grimm by herself won't be a problem?"

…

…

…

…

"Because…" Deathwatch said.

Drago could tell that Deathwatch had a confident yet evil smirk forming on their face.

…

…

…

…

"I know of a Grimm that she can't kill."

* * *

**[Therion Arc Ending Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zvQYq0LDRQ) **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jurabi: Heeeeellooooo~! This is Espada Jurabi Therion greeting you who has finished this second chapter of The World of Vastel!
> 
> Good lord, guys! One thing you need to learn about me is that you never leave me alone with an empty world because I'll be like God and put all kinds of crazy shit in it! The Elder Grimm. Let me tell you, I am not joking about how ferocious and powerful these guys are. I just randomly thought "You know what the Grimm need? These big powerful, elderly Grimm that have been around since the beginning of time who have these colossal power to just annihilate anyone who looks at them funny and are able to make aura and semblances useless.
> 
> Okay, I'm sure most of you are wonder "Jurabi, if Grimm this powerful around, how in the world is Vastel still standing?"
> 
> There is an answer to that; I just can't explain it to you all at this moment. What I can explain is that these Grimm are in Vastel for a reason—Ragnarok especially. And these Grimm are also the reason why I didn't harp on how overpowered people's OC's were because these Elder Grimm are gonna be a big challenge to beat. And I'll show you just how dangerous they are a lot sooner than you think…if you know what I mean.
> 
> Anyways, guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Man things are going to get interesting real quick. I'm so stoked right now and I'm honestly glad I randomly decided to start this. If you enjoyed this chapter, please let me know in the reviews and leave a favorite and a follow. Thank you very much for reading. See you next chapter~!


	3. Therion Arc Chp. 3: Project Therion

_~~Unknown~~_

"…Eli?" Asked a muffled voice, and silence followed a brief period afterwards until the voice called out again, "Eli."

Eli opened her eyes when she heard the voice call out to her, sounding like a cry for help. The woman took a quick look at her surroundings, finding herself in a thick, dark forest. The darkness was so dense that Eli was unable to see two feet in front of her nose.

"I can't see," Eli said, shocked and confused. She had no idea where she was or how she even came here. But that was when she noticed something odd about the darkness around her, "This darkness…it feels familiar," That was when the woman's face froze in terror. She realized that the darkness she was in was not normal, "I-it can't be. Is this—?"

"Eli…" The same voice called out to Eli, sounding like a man's voice.

Eli turned around to face the direction the voice had come from—deeper into the dark forest. She took in a deep breath and then calmly released it through her mouth to put ease to her nerves.

With a calm mind, Eli proceeded to walk through the dark forest. Despite the sheer absurdity of how dark things were, Eli had no problem traversing through. She kept her guard up, her heart heavily beating on every second.

Eli made her way to an open area that had old stones paved onto the ground. In the distance, she could barely make out an old building surrounded by a black mist.

"This place…" Eli said, remembering the events that took place here. This was the place she brought her hunter team ten years ago to find the Elder Grimm: Ragnarok—the place where she had last seen her brother, Morgan.

Suddenly, Eli felt a hand tightly grab onto her right shoulder. Her reflexes quickly kicked in and she jumped forward before turning around, already in a defensive stance. Amidst the darkness, Eli was able to make out a lone figure that appeared to be a man.

"Who goes there?!" Eli asked. When she did not get a response from the figure, she then said more firmly, "I told you to identify yourself!"

"…Eli…" The voice said, sounding like the one that was calling out to her before.

Much to Eli's dismay, this voice was starting to sound familiar. A wound in her heart suddenly began to reopen as the figure stepped forward, close enough for Eli to easily tell who it is.

"No…you can't be…" Eli said, in complete denial as she dropped her guard.

The figure was a blonde haired man who looked almost identical to her except he seemed a few years older. He wore a black leather shirt under an open red jacket with black pants and black combat boots.

Tears started to form in Eli's eyes as she placed her hands over her mouth, "M-Morgan?!"

"Eli," The man Eli called Morgan said. He let out a warm smile before saying, "It's good to see that you're okay."

Eli tried to hold back the pain that was inside her heart all these years, but she couldn't stop her feelings from pouring out. She ran to her big brother while yelling, "B-Big Bro!" She leapt into her brother's arms and gave him the biggest, emotion-filled hug she possibly could. Ever since the hunter search-and-rescue squad brought Morgan's weapon to her, Eli desperately wanted to believe he wasn't dead. Despite everyone telling her otherwise, she did not want to accept her brother's death.

"Whoa there," Morgan said, surprised by how much bigger Eli was since he last saw her, "You're a lot taller now Eli, so be careful not to knock me over."

"Big Bro…" Eli whispered, wheezing on every breath she took, "All this time…they kept telling me that you were…dead! I'm so sorry…for what I did that day! I-I only wanted to—"

"There, there, Little Sis," Morgan said, with a soothing voice that could calm a raging bull, "There will be no blaming yourself while I'm around."

"B-but…"

"You just wanted to prove to everyone that our team was the best hunter team in Vastel," Morgan said, "So we got unlucky during our fight with Ragnarok. It's nothing we can't recover from."

"No…" Eli said, shaking her head, "It wasn't luck at all. We all would have died that day if you hadn't stayed behind."

"And you, Aoife, and Saratos are alive because of that," Morgan said, "I'm not at all regretting my decision."

"Big Bro…" Eli said, wiping away her tears after they broke up the hug.

"You've endured so many hardships, but later became the strongest huntress in Emblem Academy," Morgan said, "Heck, I would even argue that you could rival Director Niamota himself. I couldn't be any more proud of you."

"Huh?" Eli asked a bit confused that Morgan would know that she was the strongest, "How do you know all of that?"

"I've been watching over you, Eli," Morgan said with a smile, "How else could I have known?"

"What?" Eli asked, noticing the darkness around him was lifting, but only because most of it was starting to seep into Morgan.

"You've made a wonderful family too," Morgan said, "A loving husband and two wonderful children. I'm jealous, Eli. But I wonder…what would happen if say all of those beloved people you love…were to suddenly drop dead?"

"Morgan?" Eli asked, "What's gotten into—"

That was when Morgan suddenly grabbed Eli by the throat tightly.

"Gaaah!" Eli gasped, trying to pry Morgan's hand off of her neck, "M-Mor…gan…what…are you—?"

"Heh, silly Little Sis," Morgan said with an evil chuckle. His eyes turned as black as the darkness that had consumed him, "I wasn't mad at all that I ended up sacrificing myself for you and the others; in fact, I was really just angry at you and your incompetence."

"Wh-wha…?" Eli asked, shocked and hurt to hear her own brother say that to her face.

Morgan gritted his teeth in anger and his eyebrows furrowed, "I should have been the leader of my own team. I should have been named the best hunter in Astea! I did everything I was told to do: studied, trained, and even saved lives. But you…you came out of nowhere and took all of the glory right from under me!"

"B-big Bro…" Eli gasped, starting to lose air, 'P-please…stop…"

"You planned our horrible battle with that demon Elder Grim, didn't you?!" Morgan asked, his venomous anger dripping from his lips, "You wanted me to get killed to rid yourself of any competition!"

"N-no!" Eli shouted, "I would…never do that to you!"

"Don't lie!" Morgan shouted, "You counted on me being the virtuous one in the group who's willing to give his life to save your asses. Well what a dumb mistake that was. I should have left you all to die to Ragnarok!"

"B-big Bro…I didn't…mean for you to die that day…!" Eli shouted, still feeling her ability to breathe being restricted, "I truly thought…we could win…but I was wrong…and I paid the price for it…!"

"Well I'm here to tell you that you haven't paid enough, Little Sis," Morgan said with an evil smirk, "A person as vile as you doesn't deserve to have a family. Answer me this: How much do you love your son?"

"N-no!" Eli shouted, suddenly pulling out enough strength to try and fight back against Morgan's grip, "I won't let…you hurt Nathan!"

"Mommy!" Nathan's voice shouted from the forest.

Eli's eyes widened in fear when she saw Nathan suddenly jump out from the forest, "Nathan?!"

Morgan let out an evil smile when he laid eyes on Nathan, "So this welpling is my nephew? I expected better from someone as perfect as you, Little Sis."

"Let Mommy go, you meanie!" Nathan shouted angrily.

"N-Nathan…!" Eli shouted, "Run! Get out…of here…before you get hurt!"

"I'm not running, Mommy!" Nathan shouted, "I'm going to save you!"

"I would be more concerned for yourself if I were you, Nathan," Morgan said with an evil smile.

Not long after Morgan uttered those words, Eli saw a horrific darkness take shape behind the unaware Nathan. The darkness took on a form all too familiar to her—the Elder Grimm: Ragnarok. Though it was covered in shadows, Eli made no mistake in recognizing it.

Eli wanted to scream out to Nathan to warn him of the danger behind him, but it was too late. By the time Nathan had turned around to look at the monster behind him, Ragnarok had already opened its mouth, filled with black flames. Without hesitation, the monster breathed out a stream of black fire at Nathan.

Eli reached out to Nathan, tears falling from her eyes as she watched her son be engulfed in black flames, "NAAAAAAAAATHAAAAAAAAAAN!"

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Therion Residence~~_

"NATHAN!" Eli screamed at the top of her lungs while she was in a complete frantic, "NOOOOO!"

"ELI!" Nitorin screamed, trying to hold down his wife with as much strength as he could muster. Nathan and Elise were both in the bedroom after being woken by their mother's scream. They watched in worry, wondering what could be wrong with their mother.

"ELI, IT'S ME!" Nitorin shouted, roughly shaking Eli's body, "WAKE UP!"

It didn't take long for Eli to finally open her eyes after hearing her husband's voice. She gasped for air, trying to calm herself down after what she had just experienced. Eli looked at her son, daughter, and husband. Everyone had a confused and worried look on their faces.

"Nitorin?" Eli asked, "Elise?" When her eyes stopped at Nathan, Eli felt a wave of fresh relief, "…Nathan!"

"Thank god you're finally awake," Nitorin said, "When you wouldn't wake up for the past ten minutes, we all got worried."

"Yeah, are you okay, Mom?" Elise asked.

"I-I'm fine, everyone," Eli said, noticing that she was sweating a little.

"Did you have a bad dream, Mommy?" Nathan asked.

"…Something like that," Eli said, hesitant to call what she went through a simple dream. She got out of her bed and gave both her children a tight hug, "But I am glad that dream wasn't real."

"What do you mean, Mommy?" Nathan asked.

"Oh, sorry," Eli said, releasing them from the hug, "Please don't mind what I said. Thank you all for worrying about me, though."

"You kids can go back to your rooms now," Nitorin said.

"Shouldn't we call the doctors at least?" Elise asked.

"I don't think there's a need to now," Nitorin said, "It was all a bad dream, so it's really nothing to worry about."

"Okay then," Elise said, "It sucks that I can't go back to my beauty sleep anymore now that I'm fully awake," As she turned around to leave the room, she noticed Nathan silently staring at their mother with a worried expression, "Come on, Nathan."

"…Alright," Nathan said, as he hesitantly left the room.

Once the two kids had left, Eli sat back down on the bed while Nitorin closed the door. Nitorin then gave his wife a serious look as he sat down on the bed with her.

"What was that, Eli?" Nitorin asked.

"I-It was nothing," Eli said, not wanting to burden Nitorin with the same nightmare she had.

"Eli, it's me," Nitorin said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You can tell me anything. Whatever nightmare you had, it's not going to happen here in reality."

"You don't know what I saw, Nitorin," Eli said.

"I don't know because you won't tell me what happened," Nitorin said, placing a hand on Eli's hand, "Please, Eli, let me help you."

Eli was hesitant at first, but she didn't want to worry her family any further. She decided to tell Nitorin about everything that happened in her nightmare from when she encountered Morgan to when she saw Ragnarok kill Nathan.

Nitorin was stunned by the story he just heard, "God…no wonder you were screaming Nathan's name."

"And it all felt so real too," Eli said, shivering a little, "What if…what if Morgan is really alive?"

"Eli…" Nitorin whispered. He wanted to disagree with Eli and remind her that there was no way her brother could have been alive for ten years. But how could he bring himself to tell her something so cold? He knows how much Eli loved her older brother from how much she talked about him. So how could Nitorin bring himself to hurt Eli? He wouldn't.

"And if he is alive," Eli said, "What would that mean for Nathan? Will he be…?"

"That won't happen, Eli," Nitorin said, "Our son being killed, I mean."

"But…"

"Listen, I know you're feeling scared right now," Nitorin said, "You have been through a lot and have lost loved ones in the process. You're afraid of losing another loved one, especially if it's one of our kids, but that's why you became a huntress, remember? You want to keep our children safe, right?"

"Yes, I do," Eli said with a nod.

Nitorin smiled at her response and hugged her, "Then the kids and I will be just fine with you keeping us safe. We trust you and every hunter in Vastel with our lives. You just need to do your best out there, and we'll do our part in cheering you on."

"Nitorin…" Eli said before she took in a deep breath, calming herself down before letting out a happy smile and returned the hug, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Nitorin said. That was when he realized that it was almost time for Therion Industries to open, "Oh goodness. The time! I'm sorry, dear, but I've got to run. Make sure you don't push yourself, you hear?"

"Of course, darling," Eli said as she and Nitorin gave each other a quick kiss on the lips, "Have a nice day at work."

"And have a nice sleep," Nitorin said before he left the room and went into the living room where he saw Nathan and Elise patiently waiting on the couch, "Nathan? Elise? Why aren't you in your rooms?"

"Daddy, is Mommy going to be okay?" Nathan asked.

"Heh, how many times do I have to tell you?" Nitorin said, chuckling a little, "Your mother just needs sleep. She simply had a nightmare that wore her out."

"See, Nathan?" Elise asked, "I told you it was nothing to keep worrying about."

"Can we go see her?" Nathan asked.

"Not right now," Nitorin replied, "Like I said, she needs rest—meaning no disturbances."

"Aw…" Nathan said, lowering his head in disappointment.

Nitorin crouched down to meet Nathan at eye level and gave him a light pat on the head, "Don't worry. You mother's a strong huntress. A little bad dream is nothing to her."

"Really?!" Nathan asked, feeling his mood lightened up a little, "That's a relief. I wish I'm as brave as Mommy."

"In any case, why don't you two come with me to see my work?" Nitorin asked, "You both could use some time away from the house."

"I don't," Elise said, turning to go back to her room.

"Oh no, young lady," Nitorin said, stopping Elise by standing in her way and giving her a stern glare, "You're just going to laze around in bed on that phone of yours!"

"Am not!" Elise shouted in denial.

"No use, Elise," Nathan said with a snarky smirk, "I told Daddy about all the times you slacked off when you should have been doing chores."

"You little—"

"Ah, ah, ah," Nitorin said, "Not this time, Elise. You are to come with us to my job or you'll have no dessert tonight."

Elise stepped back, frightened by the idea of her dessert being threatened, "N-not my strawberry shortcake!"

"Don't worry, Elise," Nathan said, still having his snarky smirk, "I'll be sure to eat that last piece for you. We can't have the cake going bad on us, can we?"

"Grrr!" Elise wanted to scream at the little annoying fly of a brother she has, but not with her father looking directly at her. She calmed herself down and let out a huff, "Fine, but I'm going to complain the entire time we are there!"

"We're pretty used to your complaining, so no objections here," Nathan said.

"Can it," Elise growled.

And so the three Therions left their house to visit Therion Industries. When they arrived, they saw a group of scientists and workers preparing for their shifts. Off to the side were mechanical experts building all different kinds of weapons in an isolated construction room.

The sight of the weapons all around made Nathan scream in absolute delight as he put his face close to the windows to get a close look at the weapons. To Nitorin, Nathan looked like a child first experiencing their first carnival ride.

Gerald had just finished talking to a group of scientists when Nitorin caught his attention, "Good morning, Nitorin!" He called out to him with a wave.

Nitorin turned to Gerald and returned the wave, "Good morning to you too, Gerald."

Once Gerald had walked over to Nitorin, he noticed that Nathan and Elise were with him, "Oh, you brought your kids today?"

"That's right," Nitorin said, turning to Nathan and Elise, "Kids, come say hi to Gerald."

Elise walked over to Gerald and introduced herself, "Hello, it's nice to meet you, sir," She then noticed that Nathan was still fixated on the weapons, "Nathan, get over here!"

While Elise tries to drag Nathan over to introduce himself, Nitorin then said to Gerald, "I'm sorry for dropping in with my kids, Gerald, but my wife got into a bit of a fix and I couldn't leave them alone at the house. I hope no one minds."

"No worries, Nitorin," Gerald said with a smile, "I've actually been interested in meeting your kids; especially your son. I hope your wife gets better soon."

"Me too," Nitorin said.

Elise eventually succeeded in getting Nathan's attention back. The boy happily walked up to Gerald, "Ooh, I remember you. You're that Gerald dude I met a few days ago!"

"That's right, Nathan," Gerald said with a smile, "I still remember when your dad brought you here to look at all of our weapons. Your smile lightened up the mood of the entire building."

"Hehe, I'm glad I helped," Nathan said with a big smile, "Get this, Mr. Gerald: Daddy talks about you all the time."

"Oh, so Nitorin talks about me a lot?" Gerald asked, giving Nitorin a sly smirk.

"Yep, he says something about his project not being possible without you, and how grateful he is," Nathan said.

"Nathan…" Nitorin said, slightly embarrassed that his own son was telling Gerald all of this information.

Gerald let out a loud laugh before patting Nitorin on the back, "Geez, Nitorin. You didn't have the guts to tell me all of this in person?"

"I was planning on thanking you after we were finished," Nitorin said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, it's no big deal," Gerald said, "All that matters is that we get this project done."

"What kind of project are you working on?" Elise asked.

"Is it a new rocket cannon or maybe a special, mechanized bow?!" Nathan asked, "Or maybe it's a duel bladed scythe!"

"There he goes again…" Elise muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Ah…well that's information is classified," Nitorin said, "We can't tell both of you."

"Come on, Nitorin," Gerald whispered to Nitorin, "They're your kids. Don't they deserve to know?"

"I don't see a point," Nitorin said, "It's not like either of them are going to fight Grimm. Besides, the Hunter Council specifically forbade talking about Project Therion to the public."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Gerald asked, "They're simply kids who seem to enjoy learning all these neat things; Nathan especially. Imagine his reaction when he sees what we are cooking up. That would be a major boost to his drive to be a part of Therion Industries."

Nitorin didn't want to openly admit it, but he truly wants Nathan to be a part of the company and move humanity forwards towards the new future he opens. He knows that with the current technology of his generation, he won't be able to find newer and more efficient ways to keep humanity safe from the Grimm threat. There is also the possibility that Project Therion may be a failure and humanity won't have a counter to the Elder Grimm. Though he does not want to wish that life onto Nathan, Nitorin could not take the risk of the world going on without a technical genius.

He turns to Nathan and Elise and said, "Follow us, kids."

"O-okay," Elise said, slightly bewildered when just a moment ago Nitorin didn't want to tell them anything.

"Ooooh!" Nathan was nothing short of excited—so excited that he was hopping up and down like a rabbit, much to his sister's annoyance.

Nitorin let out a sigh as he and Gerald led Nathan and Elise to an elevator on course for the third floor, "I'm going to regret this…" He muttered silently.

The elevator arrived at the third floor where the tests on new weapons are conducted. Nitorin and Gerald led Nathan and Elise to the main testing lab's door.

"You two are not to tell anyone about what you saw here," Nitorin said, turning to his children, "Do you understand?"

"We can't tell?" Nathan asked, "Why not?"

"…Well…" Nitorin started to struggle finding a proper answer to Nathan's question.

"It's because what we're making here is a present for everyone," Gerald said.

"Really?!" Nathan asked, getting excited, "You made presents for everyone?!"

"That's right," Gerald said with a smile, "Human and faunus alike will get to enjoy what we've got behind this door."

"Whoa, it must be a pretty big deal then," Elise said.

"Sure is," Gerald said, "But you gotta keep this a secret, okay? It wouldn't be a surprise if everyone found out."

"Okay," Nathan said, nodding, "Your secret is safe with me."

"Oh please, you're so awful at keeping a secret, Nathan," Elise said.

"Am not!" Nathan shouted.

"Remember when you confess to everyone at school that cried when a cat scratched your hand?" Elise asked.

"But it really hurt," Nathan said.

"Okay, you two," Nitorin said as he began inputting the password to open the laboratory door, "Keep quiet and do not touch anything."

"Sure," Elise said.

"I'm serious here, you two," Nitorin said, "Daddy and his friends gave up a lot to get this project moving. I will repeat this again: Do. Not. Touch. Anything."

"We understand crystal clear, Daddy," Nathan said.

The door to the Therion Lab opened after Nitorin had finished inputting the password. There, Nathan saw several complicated machinery and mathematical equations written on a dry erase board. Even though he was confused by some of them, he was in awe at how much there is to building weapons and technology.

"Wow…" Nathan gasped.

"Like what you see?" Gerald asked as Nathan nodded in response, "All of this is what your father does on a daily basis. He keeps track of all the weapons that are built and tested, and makes sure they are shipped to the correct kingdom that requires them."

"I don't get it," Nathan said, not understanding what was being explained to him because he's too young.

"Haha, you'll understand when you're older," Gerald said, "It's actually a pretty fun job once you get the basics."

"Eh, doesn't seem all that impressive to me," Elise said.

"That's because you stare at your phone every day, Elise," Nathan said, letting out a smug chuckle.

"Can it, twerp," Elise said.

"Nathan, Elise, please keep the arguments down while you're in here," Nitorin said as they all entered the main lab area where the scientists and workers greeted Nitorin.

"Good morning, Mr. Therion."

"Good morning to you all," Nitorin said, "I hope none of you mind that my kids are with me today. Don't worry, I told them not to tell anyone about this," Once the workers and scientists showed that they were okay with Nathan and Elise being there, Nitorin continued, "Alright, so our deadline is coming up. I know that some of you are concerned about whether or not we'll make it in time, but I believe we have one good chance of succeeding. Dr. Rachel, tell everyone what you told me on the phone this morning."

That was when a faunus woman with red hair with goat horns wearing a lab coat and black glasses stood up, "Thank you, Mr. Therion," She took out the notes she wrote down on the paper she had and continued, "So as you may all know, the final roadblock we experienced yesterday with Project Therion is due to the lack of a sufficient energy source. The energy of Therion Industries was not enough to power up Ragnarok's claws."

"Ragnarok's claws?!" Nathan asked in shock.

"Be quiet!" Elise whispered, lightly flicking him on the cheek.

"I have a theory as to why the last test yesterday was a failure, though I do not have the sufficient evidence," Dr. Rachel continued, "It is believed that the Elder Grimm Ragnarok is connected to the Guardian of Darkness. If this is true, then that connection may be the key to activating Project Therion."

"And what we really need is the right person to hold onto Project Therion to activate the flames of Ragnarok," Nitorin said.

"Exactly," Dr. Rachel said. She saw the other scientists and workers look at each other in concern and worry that this task may have been impossible from the beginning.

As the scientist continued talking and conversing with one another, Nathan noticed a human shaped figure lurking in the shadows.

"Huh?" Nathan asked. He looked over at his sister, who was too fixated on her phone as usual. He decided to take this chance to quietly sneak away and investigate.

"I know that you all are starting to have second doubts about this," Nitorin said, "We've spent the past ten years working on this project and now the risks are even higher, but if we manage to succeed, humanity and faunus will finally have an answer to the Elder Grimm threat. People will no longer cower in fear, wondering when the Grimm calamity will end, and our children will grow up into a peaceful world without Grimm. That is why…I volunteer to be the one to activate Project Therion."

The entire room erupted with the voices of scientists and workers disagreeing with Nitorin's proposition.

"Are you insane, sir?!"

"Even with protective gear, there's no guarantee that you will be safe!"

"You're life is too important to risk losing, Mr. Therion!"

"I know, I know," Nitorin said, "I am the backbone of Therion Industries and things will spiral out of control should I die, but the future…the future is something that is worth risking my life for. I am sorry if some of you disagree with my decision, but I don't see any other option than this."

Elise looked up from her phone once she heard that there was a possibility that her father might die from this, "What?! Dad, you wouldn't!" She muttered to herself. That was when she realized that Nathan was being oddly quiet about this, "Nathan?" She asked, looking over to the side to find that Nathan was missing, "Nathan?!"

Meanwhile, Nathan was walking through a short, but well lit hallway not far from the main lab area. The hallway had an eerie feel to it that made Nathan's spine chill a little, "What is this place?"

"… _.us…"_  A voice suddenly called out.

"Huh?" Nathan asked as he looked around the hallway for the source of the voice, "Who's there?"

"… _..free…."_  The voice said again.

Nathan curiously walked forward to try and figure out where the voice came from. After a while, he eventually stumbled upon a door that said "Authorized Personnel Only".

" _Free us…."_  The voice said, this time it was clear and came from the other side of that door.

"Is someone in trouble?" Nathan asked, "Don't worry, I'll let you out."

Meanwhile, Elise had made her way through the crowd of scientists trying to convince Nitorin to reconsider his decision.

"Dad!" Elise shouted.

"Elise?" Nitorin asked.

Elise had made her way to her father and asked, "Where is Nathan?"

"Nathan?" Nitorin asked, "Isn't he supposed to be with you?"

That was when a loud alarm started going off painting the entire room in red.

"What the—" Gerald, along with the other scientists and crewmembers, were all caught off guard by the alarm.

"Mr. Therion, there's been an unauthorized entry into the Project Therion chamber!" Shouted a scientist.

"Oh no…" Nitorin said before he began running straight towards the direction he thinks Nathan might have gone.

"Dad?!" Elise asked, wondering where her father was going.

"Elise, stay right there!" Nitorin shouted before he vanished into the halls. The man cursed himself for not keeping a closer eye on Nathan, "Damnit, Nathan! I told you to stay put!"

Back with Nathan, the boy found himself inside of a chamber completely lit with bright lights. The first thing Nathan noticed was a pair of daggers with white claws as their blades resting on the white table in front of him.

Nathan was ecstatic when he laid eyes on the weapons, "Whoa! Is this what Daddy is making?!" He asked in excitement before moving in for a closer look, "Oh, I wish I could touch this! It looks so cool!"

" _Free us…"_  The same voice that was calling Nathan before called out to him again in the room.

"Is someone there?" Nathan asked, a little spooked by the voice.

That was when the intercom in the roof turned on and Gerald's voice rang through.

" _Nathan!"_  He shouted.

"Mr. Gerald?" Nathan asked, surprised to hear his voice.

" _What are you doing in the Project Therion chamber?"_  Gerald asked.

"Project Therion?" Nathan asked, "Is that what these awesome-looking blades are called?!"

" _That doesn't matter now, Nathan,"_  Gerald said,  _"Get out of that room this instant! Your father told you not to touch anything!"_

"I know that, but I think there's someone trapped in here, Mr. Gerald," Nathan said.

" _Someone trapped?"_  Gerald asked from the testing lab room where he could see a video footage of Nathan in the Project Therion chamber.

"Mr. Achilles, something strange is happening in the Project Therion chamber!" Shouted a scientist.

"What is it?" Gerald asked.

"Project Therion…it's…powering itself up somehow," The scientist explained.

"What?!" Gerald asked in shock, "But that's impossible."

"We're not doing anything, sir!"

"Neither are we!"

Gerald turned back towards the monitor to see that everything was beginning to mysteriously shut down, "Nathan! Get out of there quick!" But before Gerald could finish his second sentence, the power of the entire building completely shut down.

"Wh-what's going on?" Elise asked, feeling goose bumps growing on her skin.

"Tell me what's happening, people," Gerald said.

"Sir…the power to the entire city has gone offline," Answered a scientist.

"What about the backup generators?" Gerald asked.

"They should be coming online soon," Said another scientist.

"And the Project Therion chamber?" Gerald asked.

"No clue what's going on in there now."

"Damnit!" Gerald shouted, slamming onto the controls, "Nitorin, you better be there right now."

"Nathan…Dad…" Elise whispered, worried for her family.

Meanwhile, Nitorin had just arrived at the door to the Project Therion chamber before the power completely went out.

"What in the world?" Nitorin asked, before shaking his head, "No time for that…" He rushed over to the door and knocked on it hard, "Nathan! Nathan, are you in there?! Answer me please!"

"Daddy?!" Nathan asked, running to the direction where he heard his father's voice, despite the chamber being dark after the black out.

"Are you okay, Nathan?!" Nitorin shouted from the other side of the door that separated them.

"Y-Yeah, but…it's dark and scary in here, Daddy!" Nathan said.

"It's going to be alright," Nitorin said, "I can't open the door yet until the lights come back on. You didn't touch the daggers on the table, did you?"

"No," Nathan said.

"That's a relief," Nitorin said, "Just stay put until the lights come back on and I'll get you right out."

"O-Okay," Nathan said.

…

…

…

…

" _Nathan…"_

The same mysterious voice called out to Nathan, sending a frightful chill down Nathan's spine.

"D-Daddy…w-was that…you?" Nathan asked with a silent yet fear dripped tone.

"Was what me?" Nitorin asked.

Nathan turned around. His eyes widened in horror when he saw movement within the darkness. Even though it was pitch black, the boy could tell that something was there—it appeared to be a pair of black arms coming right from the daggers themselves.

"Nathan?" Nitorin asked, "What's going on in there?!"

"There's something in here, Daddy!" Nathan shouted, "It's scary!"

"There shouldn't be anything in there except you, Nathan!" Nitorin shouted, "Don't let your imagination run wild in there!"

Nathan was no longer listening to what his father was telling him. The horror that was right in front of his face caused him to freeze in complete fear and terror. The hands then suddenly lashed out at Nathan, grabbing him by both of his wrists with a tight grip that threatened to break his bones.

"Nathan?!" Nitorin called out to his son when he heard silence.

"AAAH!" Nathan screamed as the hands began to drag Nathan towards the table where the daggers lied, "Let me go!"

"Nathan!" Nitorin shouted, banging at the door, "NATHAN!"

"When is the power going to come back?!" Gerald shouted in frustration, "We need vision in that room now!"

"Just a few seconds, sir!" Answered the scientist trying to get the power back online.

Nathan was dragged right to the daggers resting on the table. The boy was shivering in fright after hearing that this weapon was made out of Grimm materials. It was truly an unknown, thus is why no one could have predicted these sequences of events.

" _Nathan…"_  The voice called out to Nathan.

"… _free…_

… _us…_

… _from…_

… _our…_

… _pain…"_

"…Wha—" Nathan's hands were forced to grip onto both of the hilts of the daggers.

The power finally went back online for the entire city, including Therion Industries. With the power back, Nitorin immediately opened the door to the chamber and ran inside, "Nathan!" He shouted once he saw Nathan standing next to the table.

"Daddy," Nathan said, turning his head around a little to look at his father.

"Nathan…are you…" Nitorin then realized that Nathan has his hands on Project Therion, "Oh no…" What horrified him was that the skin on Nathan's hands were changing from white to pitch black as if a virus was spreading onto his body.

" _Nitorin, Nathan, what's happening in there?"_  Gerald asked,  _"Can you hear me?"_

"Gerald," Nitorin said, "I-I don't know what happened. Nathan just started screaming and—"

"Daddy…I don't…feel so good…" Nathan suddenly said Project Therion's claws began to turn black as well.

" _Nitorin, the Grimm readings are spiking again!"_  Gerald shouted,  _"Get you and your son out of there!"_

"Nathan, you need to put down Project Therion and come with me," Nitorin said, extending his hand. But suddenly, the black flames of Ragnarok ignited onto the claws setting the daggers on fire.

The sight of this frightened Nathan to the point of tears, "D-Daddy…what is this?!"

"Breathe, Nathan," Nitorin said, "Daddy's right here. Just put the weapon down, okay?"

"I-I can't!" Nathan shouted.

"Yes you can," Nitorin said.

"No, I really can't!" Nathan said as the flames begin to expand to the point where they connected to the walls, setting them on fire, "I can't control my arms!" Nathan shouted as he suddenly sliced the table in half, setting it on fire.

Nitorin watched in horror as his son cried out to him with fear as his arms swung out of control. The strange virus on his arms was continuing to spread up to his shoulders.

Nitorin had a feeling on what could be happening to Nathan, "Nathan, I need you to listen to me carefully."

"Huh?" Nathan asked.

"I'm going to walk over to you and take Project Therion from your hands," Nitorin said as he put on a pair of protective gloves, "All you need to do is stop being afraid. If you calm your emotions down, whatever is happening to you will likely calm down with it."

"But…what's happening to me?" Nathan asked.

"It would be better if you didn't know right now," Nitorin said, "Just take in deep breaths and keep looking at me and nothing else, got it?"

"…O-Okay…" Nathan said as he began to take in deep breathes. However, nothing was working. No matter how calm Nathan was, the flames only start to get worse and worse to the point where both him and his father began sweating bullets and coughing.

"We can't stay too long, Nathan," Nitorin said as he began walking over to Nathan, "Keep trying. Don't give into your fear."

"I'm trying, Daddy…" Nathan said, frustrated at the fact that nothing was working and that things were getting worse by the second, "But I can't!"

"You're better than this, Nathan," Nitorin said, "I know you are. You said you wished to be as brave as your mom. Well start now."

"Daddy…" Nathan whispered.

"I believe in you, Nathan," Nitorin said, "I'm here for you till the very end."

"…Dad," Nathan said, "This isn't working…we need to do something else."

"Don't be ridiculous," Nitorin said, "Just keep your eyes on me."

"B-But, what if you end up like this too?!" Nathan asked.

"I won't as long as I have these," Nitorin said, showing Nathan the protective gloves.

"You don't know that!" Nathan shouted angrily, "Is this…what you've been skipping our bedtime stories for?! For this weapon?! Did I mean that little to you?!"

"What?" Nitorin asked, finding Nathan's sudden behavior change to be strange, "Nathan, are you okay?"

"I'm not…" Nathan said, shaking in rage, the virus starting to spread so deep that the veins in his arms were painted a pitch black, "I don't…know…what's wrong with me…! But…I…have this…sudden anger! What's…happening?!"

"Nitorin, get out of there now!" Gerald shouted, "The readings are above the maximum level of stability! The whole room will turn into black flames!"

"Nathan, listen to my voice," Nitorin said, "Please!"

"I need…to stop them…" Nathan said, his eyes turning cold.

"Nathan?" Nitorin asked.

"…mortals…cannot…return…to power…" Nathan muttered as he raised his right blade into the air while holding the other one horizontally.

"Wait, Nathan, stop!" Nitorin shouted, realizing what Nathan was trying to do.

"For…the Guardians…" Nathan said as he slammed the blades onto each other hard, breaking the claws off of both of them. Because the claws were tightly connected to the rest of the weapons, Project Therion was completely smashed to pieces.

A sudden explosion of black flames engulfed the room. With quick reaction, Nitorin jumped out of the room and escaped the flames.

"No!" Nitorin shouted as he looked back at the chamber, "NATHAN!" He screamed.

After a few long seconds, the black flames quickly died down at a surprising rate.

"What the—?" Nitorin was astonished by how quickly the flames had died out, but wasted no time going back into the chambers to find Nathan lying on the ground on the verge of clasping. The black markings on Nathan's arms were gone and his eyes returned to their colorful self

Nitorin took this chance to run over to Nathan and pick him up in his arms, "I've got you." He said as he carried Nathan out of the room and out into the hallway. Once they had gained some distance from the chamber, Nitorin set Nathan down against the wall and checked over his body.

"Are you okay, Nathan?" Nitorin asked.

"I…I don't know," Nathan said.

"…Well, at least you're safe," Nitorin said.

"What…happened, Daddy?" Nathan asked in confusion.

"You don't know…?" Nitorin asked, puzzled by Nathan's lack of knowledge for what had just occurred.

"Mr. Therion!" Shouted a group of scientists who came looking for him, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm alright, everyone," Nitorin said, "Someone call the hospital, quick."

"Daddy…I'm so sorry…" Nathan said.

"We'll talk about this later," Nitorin said as he picked Nathan up again and brought him back to the observation room.

Elise was happy when her little brother was okay. She even yelled at Nathan a little for wondering off into danger like that.

Gerald and a team of scientists were busy checking the instruments on the control panel for any malfunction issues.

But the machines at his work didn't matter to Nitorin right now. He ordered his workers to speak nothing of this issue and to continue work as usual while keeping him posted on updates.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Fu Hua Hospital~~_

Nitorin, along with Elise, took Nathan to the Fu Hua Hospital so a doctor could perform a check up

First, the doctor assigned to check up on Nathan performed several x-ray tests and bodily verifications, such as looking into his mouth, eyes, and nerve coordination. Once he was finished, he brought Nathan out of the testing room and to the waiting area where Nitorin and Elise patiently waited.

"Mr. Therion, I've done a thorough check on Nathan," The doctor said, "There seems to be no problems aside from a bit of fatigue."

"Are you certain, doctor?" Nitorin asked as he watched Elise hug Nathan like an older sister.

"I made sure to run a double check on the boy," The doctor said, "There was this one moment of the nerves in his arm having a one second delay, but it's not major. All the boy needs is rest."

"Thank you," Nitorin said shaking the doctor's hand.

"It's no problem, Mr. Therion," The doctor said.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Therion Residence~~_

The Therion's returned home after such a bizarre day at Therion Industries. The second the door was opened, Eli rushed over to hug every single one of her family.

"Are you all alright?!" Eli asked, frantically worried, "I heard something terrible happened at Therion Industries and—"

"We're alright, Eli," Nitorin said, "Just an issue with one of the weapons. Nathan was a little miffed but he'll recover without any worry."

"A weapon?" Eli asked.

"Yeah," Elise said, "I think it was called "Project Therion", right?"

"…That's right," Nitorin said.

"Wait…did something bad happen with Project Therion?" Eli asked.

Nitorin let out a sigh before sitting on the couch and decided to explain everything that happened from Nathan wondering off form the observation room to what had occurred in the Project Therion Chamber.

Eli soon rushed over at Nathan to check the boy from top to bottom, "I can't believe something like that happened to you, Nathan! Are you feeling okay? Any stomach pains or pains anywhere?"

"Mommy…I'm fine," Nathan said, "But…"

"In any case," Nitorin said, "The workers are still trying to access the situation. No doubt the public wants to know what happened with the power outage."

"Yeah, we were lucky people didn't think it was a Grimm attack," Eli said.

"No doubt the Hunter Council will be on my…" Nitorin looked at Nathan and immediately shut up before he said something he would regret.

"So…what ever happened to this Project Therion thing?" Elise asked, "I never got to see it."

"That part, I don't know," Nitorin said, turning to Nathan, "Do you have any idea what happened to the two swords you grabbed, Nathan?"

"B-but I didn't grab them, Daddy," Nathan said.

"Listen, Nathan, even though I am so happy you're still alive, you still disobeyed me," Nitorin said, "You could have been killed, and to add on top of that, you could have put a lot of people danger. So what happened to Project Therion?"

"I-I…"

Before Nathan can answer, Nitorin's phone rang.

"Ah, one second," Nitorin said as he picked the phone up, "Nitorin Therion, here. What is it?"

" _Mr. Therion, sir, we have some bad news,"_  Said a scientist from Therion Industries.

"What's the matter?" Nitorin asked.

" _It's Project Therion, sir,"_  The scientist said,  _"It's missing."_

Nitorin's eyes widened and his head swerved back a little in complete shock, "WHAT?!" He screamed as he suddenly rushed into the kitchen to get away from his family's ears.

"Nitorin?!" Eli asked rushing after him.

"W-What's wrong?" Nathan asked, turning to Elise, "D-did I do something bad?"

"…You might have, Nathan," Elise said.

In the kitchen, Nitorin was pacing back in forth, his right arm clenching his hair threatening to pull it straight out.

"No, no, no, no!" He shouted, "Check again! No way two pairs of daggers can just up and vanish!"

" _We're trying our hardest, sir,"_  The scientist said,  _"But we just can't locate Project Therion."_

"That can't be…" Nitorin muttered before he slammed his fists onto the kitchen counter, "Damnit!"

"Nitorin…" Eli said as she walked into the kitchen. Seeing the look of frustration and fear was enough to tell her what had happened.

" _What do we do, Mr. Therion?"_  The scientist asked.

"Keep looking," Nitorin said, "I don't care if we have to stop manufacturing weapons. 50 hunters died for Project Therion to even be possible and everyone's future is hanging on to it!"

" _Y-yes sir!"_  The scientist said before Nitorin ended the call before letting out an angry huff.

"Something happened to Project Therion, didn't it?" Eli asked.

"It's missing," Nitorin said, "But no one was in close proximity to Project Therion…" He said before he realized that one person did, "No one except…" He quickly fast-walked past Eli and went into the living room where Nathan and Elise were.

"N-Nitorin, what are you doing?" Eli asked.

"Dad?" Elise asked.

"Elise, go to your room," Nitorin said.

"But what's going—"

"I SAID GO TO YOUR ROOM!" Nitorin suddenly yelled out with a booming voice that caused Elise to step back.

She hesitated, but did as told and went to her room while Nathan could only watch and feel his heart drop and his spine shiver.

"Nathan, I want the truth and nothing but the truth," Nitorin said, "What did you do to Project Therion?"

"Huh?" Nathan asked.

"Don't play dumb with me and answer the question," Nitorin said, "You were the only one who was close to those weapons you touched. What did you do to them?!"

"I-I don't understand," Nathan said, feeling the tension coming from his father.

"What do you mean you don't understand?!" Nitorin asked, "You were there with the daggers in your hands when you destroyed them. We should be finding parts of it to try and rebuild it, but the whole thing is gone!"

"It's all gone?" Eli asked with a gasp, "Even Ragnarok's claws?"

"Yes," Nitorin said, "Nathan, you are our only hope of figuring out what happened to Project Therion. Please tell us."

"I don't know, Daddy," Nathan said, trying to recall what happened, "I don't remember destroying Project Therion. And…I didn't want to touch the weapons, but I was dragged towards them by these…weird black hands and—"

"This again?" Nitorin asked, "Made-up stories won't get you out of trouble. You do realize that, don't you?"

"B-but it's the truth," Nathan said.

"Nathan, I am not in the mood for my patience to be tested," Nitorin said, "I saw the whole thing! What do you have to gain from lying?!"

"Nitorin, calm down," Eli said, "You're scaring—"

"That doesn't matter!" Nitorin shouted, "Nathan, you disobeyed me and destroyed our million dollar project that took 10 years to make! And now it's all of a sudden gone!" Nitorin was getting angrier and angrier with each passing second, "Along with Therion Industries' reputation, and more importantly…" He couldn't bring himself to finish his sentence before he rested his head in his hands.

"I-I'm sorry, Daddy…" Nathan said.

Nitorin tightly clenched his fists in anger before he slowly moved them down to show his angry expression, which frightened Nathan.

"Tell that to the 50 hunters who lost their lives to give all of us this one chance," He said, "The chance to finally free the world from the Grimm! Apologize to everyone in the world for taking away that chance of a better future!"

"Nitorin, stop!" Eli shouted.

"And apologize to your mother, because she'll get sent back to prison because of you!" Nitorin shouted.

"….What…?" Nathan was shocked to hear that. Shocked and hurt that he caused all of that and may have ruined many lives, including his mothers.

Seeing the tears falling from Nathan's eyes made Nitorin's heart drop after being pierced by regret.

"That's enough," Eli said rushing to calm Nathan down, "Nathan, don't listen to him, okay. Everything will be fine."

"…You'll…go back to prison…Mommy?" Nathan asked with a cracked voice.

"Mommy isn't going anywhere, sweetie," Eli said, hugging Nathan tightly, "Daddy's just frustrated, that's all."

"B-But…" Nathan looked at his father, who only looked away in shame and regret.

"…Eli, get Nathan to bed," Nitorin said, "The doctor said that he needs rest…"

"…Okay…come on," Eli said picking Nathan up, "Let's get you to bed."

"Daddy…" Nathan said, but Nitorin acted as if he didn't hear Nathan's call.

"…I'm going to go out for a bit," Nitorin said, grabbing the keys to the car, his wallet, and phone, before going out the door.

"Nitorin!" Eli shouted, but it was too late. The door had closed and Nitorin had already gone into his car and drove off into the night.

Before Eli tried to call Nitorin, she heard Nathan crying in her arms. She felt awful for her son and mad at her husband for saying those harsh words to him. But she understood that everything rode on Project Therion's success: her own future and the future of the world. Eli tightly hugged Nathan and sat down on the couch.

"There, there, Nathan," Eli said, "Daddy will be calm tomorrow. He just needs to cool down, that's all."

"Why did he say those things…?" Nathan asked, "Was what I did horrible? Did I hurt a lot of people?"

"No, you didn't," Eli said, "I know you are not the kind of person to hurt anyone, Nathan. I'll make sure that Daddy apologizes to you when he gets back."

"…Okay…" Nathan said.

"Now, let's get you to bed," Eli said as she picked Nathan up again and brought him to his room to tuck him in as usual, "You must be tired for today."

Nathan was even sadder than usual, "No bedtime story, I guess."

"Oh," Eli said, realizing that she forgot about her promise to read it to Nathan tonight, "Well I can read it with you. Is that okay?"

"…No," Nathan said, which surprised Eli.

"No?" Eli asked.

"I…I said I want both you and Daddy to read it to me," Nathan said before he let out a sad smile, "I'm willing to wait. For as long as it takes, I'll wait."

Eli smiled, "And that is why you will never be the kind of person to hurt other people. No matter what happens or what you end up doing, your Daddy and I will always love you, Nathan." She said as she kissed Nathan on the cheek and went to the door, "Goodnight, sweetie."

"Goodnight, Mommy," Nathan said.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Location: Unknown~~_

In an unspecified location, Drago was speaking to Deathwatch after being call so suddenly. During that time, Deathwatch had explained what had occurred at Therion Industries according to their insider.

"Excuse me?" Drago asked, "You're joking, right?"

"I am not the kind of faunus who enjoys japes, Fuchou," Deathwatch said, "It is as I said. The son of Nitorin Therion, Nathan Therion, made contact with Project Therion. Afterwards, the weapons have been declared missing."

"Well, I guess that means our deal is off," Drago said, "If there's no target, there's no thievery, and therefore, no deal."

"Hold on, Fuchou," Deathwatch said, "No one ever said that the weapon is no more. Only that it was declared missing."

"So what?" Drago asked, scoffing a little, "You want me to find it? As if! My men and I aren't risking our necks for a wild goose chase."

"You are masters at adapting to any situation, Fuchou," Deathwatch said, "I have no doubt that you can find Project Therion; especially in the chaos that will fall upon the city."

"Chaos?" Drago asked, "What do you mean?"

"Hehehe, do not worry, Fuchou," Deathwatch said, "Play your cards right and you won't lose a single man. I'll be waiting at these coordinates for Project Therion with the information you desire. Until we meet again, farewell."

"Wait, we're not done ta—" Drago wasn't able to finish before the call monitor turned off. The faunus let out a frustrated growl before he gave the order to his second in command, "Get the men ready for a raid of Fu Hua City. On my signal, we'll scour the city for this "Project Therion"."

"Yes, sir!" His second in command said before leaving the room.

Drago looked back at the monitor in worry, "Chaos…could they mean…?"

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Therion Residence: Nathan's Room~~_

After he had said his goodnights to his mother, Nathan spent some time trying to go to sleep. But then, his father's word began to ring through his mind.

" _Nathan, you disobeyed me and destroyed our million dollar project that took 10 years to make!"_

"No…." Nathan whispered, shivering in fear.

" _And now it's all of a sudden gone!"_

"Please…" Nathan cried, feeling sadness in his heart.

" _Along with Therion Industries' reputation, and more importantly…"_

"I'm so sorry, please…don't yell…" Nathan silently pleaded, feeling guilt. That was when his chest started turning black.

" _Tell that to the 50 hunters who lost their lives to give all of us this one chance."_

"I'm sorry…"

" _The chance to finally free the world from the Grimm! Apologize to everyone in the world for taking away that chance of a better future!"_

"I'm sorry!"

" _And apologize to your mother, because she'll get sent back to prison because of you!"_

" _I'M SO SORRY, MOMMY! DADDY!"_  Nathan cried out in agony in his own mind as his whole body began to turn black.

**XxxxxxxxxX**

_~~Location: Unknown~~_

In a dark cave littered with bones spanning from animals to humans. It was pitch black and had an eerie noise throughout due to the wind blowing in.

In this dark cave was a Grimm, but this Grimm was unlike any other. Its body was black and scaly, with a tail that could easily be mistaken for a sharp blade. Its wings were blood red with its ends also having blades that looked sharp enough to cleave through trees. Its head had white, sharp horns in the backside with a white outer shell on its face.

It slept, fully aware of the negative emotions of humans around it. Regardless, those emotions did not interest it in the slightest. Unlike regular Grimm, this Grimm was not attracted to ordinary emotions. It's attracted only to one thing…

" _I'M SO SORRY, MOMMY! DADDY!"_

Its yellow eyes popped open. Its red wings expanded and the black flames in its mouth forming. The Grimm let out a deafening roar that shook the mountains it lived in.

The Elder Grimm Ragnarok is awake, and it is attracted to only one thing…

…

…

…

…the part of itself that it lost.

**Author's Note:**

> Jurabi: Heeeeeeeeellooooooooo~! This is Espada Jurabi Therion bringing you my first ever RWBY story. I am honestly shocked that I am doing this so suddenly. This idea of a fic came into my mind while I was in college and I really doubted I would go for it, but then something just came over me and I just started writing.
> 
> If you find yourself interested in this story, please let me know in the reviews and leave a favorite and a follow. Thank you very much for reading. See you next chapter~!


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